Strawberry Fangs (Original)
by Nissa Fox
Summary: Vampire AU: Ichigo never expected that finding out his roommate's secret would change the course of his entire life. The only reason why he decided to study abroad was to support his best friend, but it seems that fate had different plans. GrimmIchi, mostly plot, lemons in the later chapters. Rated M for swearing, violence, and sexual content. Complete, happy binge-reading.
1. Chapter 1

Fair warning this is my first fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it because I worked really hard.

* * *

Chapter 1

It's been five months since Ichigo left Japan to study abroad at a highly ranked college in America. Even though it was a temporary transfer and he did it willingly, it was hard to adjust in an entirely new country. The language barrier was difficult at first, but after a while he found it fun to speak the same language as other people from other countries in the same setting.

He doesn't really show it, but he did have a good time and he has made a lot of new friends all of them being from Japan since they were so much easier to talk to. He wasn't going to be here much longer though, only one more month. Though the study abroad program was a once in a life time experience he missed Japan.

He missed his little sisters and he'll even admit that he missed his dorky dad, but he mostly missed his best friend Rukia who helped his other best friend, Renji push him to go on this program. He kept telling himself that he only needed to endure for a little longer until he goes back to his old school and see his family and friends again and back to sharing a room with Renji.

His roommate wasn't exactly a roommate from hell, but they didn't really talk much. It was a situation where Ichigo felt like he could blame himself as much as he could blame his roommate. He considered himself more introvert and his friends were able to understand that from the first time that he met them, mostly because he admitted it outright.

He wasn't socially awkward and it wasn't like he avoided people at all cost, it's just that he enjoyed being by himself every now and then. Once he enters their room he acts as if he was alone whether his roommate is there or not. Pretending to be alone doesn't exactly make it easy for his roommate to talk to him nor does he want to talk to him.

His roommate wasn't exactly talkative either. He originally came from Germany and spoke both English and German very well. Even if they were both in the room they hardly talked. They were both together because they were both studying abroad even though they were from different countries. Even if they were roommates, that doesn't mean that they have to be friends. All they have to do is coexist.

He wanted to make the most out of the small amount of time he spent in his room usually grabbing a book (or manga), studying, or just goofing around on his laptop. Maybe it was because back at his home in Japan he never really had the luxury of being alone. His family was loud, especially his dad who worked at home. Even days where he was meant to be working he still found time to bother his only son. They lived in an emergency clinic for God's sake! Could it hurt to act a little more professional? His house was always rowdy which would explain why Ichigo treated every moment of silence as if it was gold, whether he was at school or home.

Ichigo reached to open the door to his dorm room to see it unlocked. That usually meant that his roommate was there. Even though they hardly talked Ichigo felt more at ease when his roommate wasn't in the room. He was cocky, a total pervert that liked to mess with him, and rude, but not only that he just seemed to have an uneasy atmosphere, it felt almost dangerous, it was just something that he couldn't explain. All he knew was that if he happened to get to know him better than he was sure that they wouldn't get along.

"Hey, Grimmjow." He said as he put his bag down on the chair in front of his desk.

"Hey, Ichigo I have a favor to ask. When you go out to dinner tonight can you text me when you're on your way back?"

That usually means that he's planning to have someone over... for reasons other than playing _Super Smash Bros_ , and unless Ichigo wants to be there when he does then he better do what his roommate asked. His roommate didn't exactly have any shame and would do anything of that nature even if he was in the room, blushing furiously, wearing headphones, and pretending to be asleep. Sometimes it felt like he was doing it on purpose just to get a reaction out of him and see how far he could take it before Ichigo got tired of it. Ichigo actually went out of the way to buy his roommate headphones so he wouldn't have to deal with the crude grunts and moans that come out of his computer when he watches porn.

He eventually lost his patience for him and asked if his roommate would text him if he planned to have some 'alone time' or have anyone over. I guess it makes sense that the best way to get along with a roommate that you have nothing in common with is to set up ground rules, and they worked.

"Um, sure," Ichigo said trying to keep an open mind. It wasn't exactly written in stone that Grimmjow was bringing a girl over whenever he asked Ichigo to text him when he was planning on coming back, but knowing Grimmjow, that tended to be the case.

"Thanks." Grimmjow said with a devilish grin. Conversation over, that's usually what their conversations were like. No small talk, no heart to hearts, just a greeting or a favor. That's it. It was easier this way. He didn't have a need to learn how to cope with Grimmjow's terrible attitude or pick fights with him.

If rooming with him continued like this then they could move on with their abroad experience without having to think much about one another. Ichigo just climbed in his bed put ear buds in and started to tackle his homework. While Grimmjow messed around on his laptop, either doing the same or goofing off, what else is there to do? They were in college.

* * *

At around 7:30 Ichigo got up and headed towards the door.

"I'm leaving, do what you need to do." He said.

Grimmjow gave a sly grin. "Thanks, I'll text you when I finish." He said in a sing song voice as he grabbed his phone and started to tap away at the screen before a swoosh sound came out that signified that he sent a text message.

With that he left. They didn't really have much to say. Ichigo was planning to meet up with his friends Izuru, Shuuhei, and Renji for dinner. Apparently Uryu and Orihime were planning to come over as well, but whenever they claim they may be there it means Orihime might be there without Uryu and she tells them that something came up for him.

Just because he was an introvert didn't mean he doesn't enjoy sitting down and eating with his friends. The word had a negative connotation; people just assume that introverts were the equivalent of loners. It isn't, he doesn't mind going out as long as he got some recharge time a bit later. Dinner with some friends is enough to distract him for a little while until he is able to go back to his room and finish up the pile of homework on his desk. Becoming a doctor was rough, but it was his dream to help people. At least that's what he tells himself.

* * *

Ichigo and his friends always sat down at the same table in the back every night, at the same dining hall, at the same time, sitting in the exact same spots. It worked like clockwork. Ichigo didn't mind the everyday routine. He would rather have that then having something happen out of the ordinary that would throw everything he ever knew or believed in out the window. And it wasn't like every day was the same. Conversations varied and sometimes mutual friends that happened to be eating at the same time as them would sit down with them.

Orihime and Uryu ended up making it to dinner that night. Uryu was planning to become a doctor as well and took his studies more seriously than even Ichigo. He tended to forget to eat or sleep because he is too busy with his nose in a book to realize time pass and that it was three in the morning and all the dining halls were long closed. Orihime self-employed herself with the oh so important job of watching him like a hawk to make sure that he remembers to eat and go to bed on time.

As usual Orihime was dragging Uryu around even though he seemed reluctant as she dragged him by the arm like a rag doll. He always complied too her wishes though, she meant well and it was plain to see from any on looker. Maybe it was because he had a crush on her. It was obvious to the rest of them, but she was a bit too ditzy to realize it.

Ichigo met Orihime and Uryu, during the abroad program, everyone at that table came from Japan just like he did, but different parts with the exception of Ichigo and Renji. Orihime and Uryu apparently knew each other despite being from different prefectures of Japan.

"We were pen pals." Orihime explained. This was where their conversation brought them today. "You know when you are in elementary school you get a pen pal from a different school?"

Everyone nodded beckoning her to tell more of the story with the exception of Uryu who was looking to his side shyly. Ichigo never imagined seeing this side of Uryu; he always looked stern and cool when he was alone as opposed to Orihime who was always bubbly.

"Well, I had Uryu as mine. During the year we really hit it off. After that year we decided it would be fun if we exchanged emails and continued messaging each other. Then this abroad program was offered at both of the colleges we went to and we both decided to take it out of sheer coincidence." She said clapping her hands together in delight.

"When we emailed each other later that night you wouldn't believe how surprising it was!" The entire table looked over at Uryu, who has been quiet this entire time, which didn't help him hide his embarrassment trying to keep his reputation of always being cool and level headed.

"This was actually the first time we met in person. Five months ago, I mean. The first thing I did when I got here was email him telling him that we should meet up and now here we are, the best of friends."

The last sentence stung Ichigo. He didn't like to call Uryu a friend since he acted like he had a stick shoved so far up his butt that he could taste it, but he sympathized with the guy who was trapped in a deep hole called 'the friendzone.' Seriously, that story belonged in a romance novel, or a shoujo manga, or something. Add a bit more story in it and it would sell more than Nicholas Sparks.

Other than those two Ichigo and Renji were childhood friends that didn't meet each other in an adorable way like the two that were sitting across from them. They met in kindergarten, they shared crayons, they walked home together, friendship established.

It was Renji's idea to do the abroad program and he dragged Ichigo along for the ride and making damn sure he came along too. He complained that he never got to see Ichigo even though they went to the same elementary, middle, high school, and then college. Maybe it was because they picked different majors, Ichigo pursuing medical, while Renji was trying his hand in business, which didn't seem to fit him in Ichigo's opinion, not with Renji's tattoos and weird fashion sense.

Ichigo would rather see him continue playing rugby like he did in high school. He was really good even though it was pretty hard to play rugby professionally because there weren't a lot of windows to or he could have tried his hand in music which was something that he loved since he was a child as he usually carried around a pair of drum sticks as a good luck charm.

Sometimes Ichigo would see him drumming on walls or tables in impatience if they were planning to meet up and Ichigo was late to arrive at the meeting spot. Seriously, Renji was incredibly talented and he would probably have a chance in that business. He can be introduced to an instrument and figure it out by the end of the day and he also had the voice of an angel.

When Orihime asked them how they met there really wasn't much of a story to tell. As much as a story as Izuru and Shuuhei had. Those two became roommates, meeting each other for the first time when they got here. They became best friends and were dreading the last day of the six month program unlike Ichigo who was silently wishing for it as he craved the familiarity of Karakura University. They were inseparable it was almost as if they were dating, but that was such a cliché fanfiction plot line.

Dinner was pretty normal from then on. They sat down and talked for two hours, long after all of their food was gone. They were that group that made everyone ask, 'why do all Asians only hang out with other Asians?' Then again everyone at this damn school looked like anime characters so it wasn't very obvious that they were all from Japan.

As they parted ways Ichigo remembered to message Grimmjow that he was coming back to the room and that he hoped that Grimmjow was…finished with whatever he was doing. He was gone for hours so he hoped so, Grimmjow would sometimes text him when he was done, but that was only occasionally. Most times Ichigo would come back hours later to find Grimmjow asleep so he made sure to text Grimmjow whenever he came back so he wouldn't forget to give him the go ahead to go back to their room.

As he walked back to the dorm thoughts swirled around in his head as he was planning how best to make up for his lost time in making up his work for his Bio II class. He was basically drowning in work and he wasn't even in med school yet, he can't stress it enough, becoming a doctor is may have to pull an Uryu and stay up all night.

There was no way to tell whether or not his roommate will be wearing clothes this time, but he was mentally prepared. His roommate had an odd sense of humor that bordered on the line of sexual harassment. One day his roommate thought it would be funny if he sat on his bed stark naked and watch Ichigo's flustered reaction. Ichigo's reaction was probably the highlight of their roommate experience at this point. Ichigo wasn't that angry at him after a while, even if it was embarrassing. What was he going to do? File a Title IX case on the guy for being naked in his own room?

* * *

As he got back to the room the room itself felt hot and heavy as if the room has been locked with no air getting in or out as if all the windows were closed on a particularly humid summer day. Shit, how long did he last? Ichigo thought to himself trying to adjust to the uncomfortable atmosphere. He expected the room to smell like sweat, but instead it smelled like iron and he gave Grimmjow two hours to get things done.

It felt like they just finished and she just ran out the door. Ichigo looked over to Grimmjow's bed to see that the sheets were just replaced and instead of the old sheets being in his laundry basket, they were actually hiding in a box pushed to the side. There was a hint of brown on the sheets like drying blood that still looked a bit wet. Was she on her period or something? Ichigo thought to himself. Grimmjow didn't seem to have standards on where he is sticking it apparently even if…it was that time of the month…

Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow and he looked a little tense. His face was sweaty and his baby blue hair was all over the place, more than usual at least. The teal tattoos under his eyes were covering the dark circles that he never noticed before. He looked like he just took a shower, but from his scent, shine, and posture Ichigo knew better.

He was shaking like he was undergoing withdrawal, but he never experienced what it looked like firsthand so he didn't make any claims, even if he did have the textbook image of what withdrawal looked like. No. He wasn't going to make assumptions. Maybe it's just that he actually did have some shame after all, but if it was the case of doing a girl then why didn't he do it in her room?

She seems to have no problem with having sex even during her period. That aside Grimmjow couldn't rip his eyes off of Ichigo it even looked like his eyes dilated when he walked into the room. Kind of like how he would imagine a panther to look if it didn't find anything to eat in days, but then found a white-tailed deer taking a calm drink by the river completely unaware that he was about to be dinner. Ichigo sat on his bed and tried to ignore him, but he could still feel Grimmjow's eyes on him. He didn't want to make assumptions, but this was in college after all…

"Grimmjow? Are you okay? Ichigo asked slowly and carefully making sure to keep judgment out of his voice and show that he was actually worried for his roommate. "You know you have class tomorrow, right? Are you going to be okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, it's just that…never mind" Grimmjow said seeming to cut himself off from his own thoughts. He seemed a bit out of it, but he was directing his focus on Ichigo at the same time as if he was grasping for reality or sizing Ichigo up. Whatever it was, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the larger and more muscular roommate whose eyes followed him everywhere he moved. He needed to get out, but make it look natural.

"Right… I'm gonna take a shower and you think about what you were planning to tell me."

Ichigo grabbed his stuff that he needed for the shower that was shared by the whole floor and threw his towel over his shoulder. He grabbed a hold of the door handle, but quickly pulled away from it. It was sticky. Ichigo looked at his hand and saw that it was stained red.

Blood? Ichigo's tanned skin instantly paled. It wasn't like he was squeamish around blood, but this scenario would have looked better in a horror movie and not real life. The girl he invited may have been on her period, but there has to be limits. Did she run out with blood on her hands? She couldn't have wiped it or anything? The sheets were already ruined more couldn't have hurt. If she didn't have time to wipe her hands then the scenario in his head could be wrong. Which begged the question, why is there blood on the door handle?

Ichigo turned back to his roommate, his face pail and his forehead covered in cold sweat, but before he could open his mouth his roommate was by his side again holding up Ichigo's hand to his face so he could examine it. He didn't even hear him get up off his bed.

"Shit." He huffed out. "I thought I did a better job on cleaning."

Ichigo looked at his roommate, his eyes were wild, but before Ichigo could process Grimmjow lifted his hand to his mouth and licked a long strip across his palm wetting the blood that dried on Ichigo's hand.

"What the hell?" Ichigo gasped trying to pry his hand away from the larger man, instead he found himself shoved against the wall with his arm above his head, while Grimmjow held him in place by his hip his mouth inches away from his roommate's neck.

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked frantically. It's been a long time since he felt genuinely scared, but he could have done without it. Grimmjow's eyes were huge. If his eyes were described as the cliché 'blue pools' then Grimmjow's eyes were deep enough to drown in and scarier than the bottom of the ocean. His skin was pale like he has never seen the sun before in his life. It looked like he was being possessed.

"Sorry Ichi, I'm still hungry." He said before sinking his teeth into the smaller man's soft neck.

Ichigo gasped at the sudden pain, his catty that he was bringing to the shower slipped from his hand and clattered against the floor the round bottle of shampoo rolling across the floor. He wanted to yell out, but his voice couldn't make it out of his mouth as if Grimmjow's teeth were a wall that wouldn't let Ichigo's screams go through. Ichigo felt blood trickling down his neck and Grimmjow desperately drank. He was so lost in the alluring red liquid until he realized that he's taken too much.

He pulled away to see Ichigo barely able to stand basically hanging by his right arm that was being held up by Grimmjow as Grimmjow tightened his grip on his hip to prevent him from kneeling over. His tan skin was a few shades paler, his eyes were half lidded, and he was breathing deeply taking in large amounts of air and exhaling heated breaths.

"Shit, Ichi." He said as blood tricked from the side of his mouth.

He picked up the smaller figure bridal style and carried him over to his bed. Ichigo was struggling to hold on to his consciousness. He looked at his roommate with shock, but surprisingly less fear then before he was bitten.

"What the hell?" He said shakily. "Are you some kind of vampire?"

"Yeah, I'll explain later, but I need you to stay conscious." Grimmjow quickly pulled a bottle of water from his roommate's fridge and grabbed Ichigo's washcloth that he dropped. He poured some water on it and started to clean up Ichigo's neck and hand. He grabbed two Band-Aids from his drawer and quickly cleaned and covered up the two holes that were left from his sharp canines.

"Before I forget, I guess I'll say I'm sorry. The bitch didn't supply what I paid for. Once she got scared she cut me off. I barely took a cup." Grimmjow said.

"Are you talking about the girl you were sleeping with? Was she some kind of prostitute?" Ichigo asked tiredly as he started to accept the major blood loss and the probability of passing out. Grimmjow pulled a chair closer to his bed so he could look after his nearly unconscious roommate.

"Something like that." Grimmjow gumbled. He held the bottle to Ichigo motioning him to drink, he complied. "But instead of selling sex she sells blood, but she was probably new to the job."

"I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around this." Ichigo was going to say more, but before he could he cringed and started to shake. He started coughing up blood. Grimmjow quickly turned him on his side so he wouldn't end up choking on it. "Hey, stay with me, Ichigo. Don't pass out"

"Is it okay, if I vomit?" Ichigo asked once his shaking calmed down a bit.

"You better not fucking puke." Grimmjow growled. "It's enough to take care of you. I don't want to clean up after you too. Blood is easier to take care of then puke."

"Whose fault is this?" Ichigo asked still sort of out of it, but not enough so that he wasn't able to be a smartass.

Grimmjow growled, he was the type that didn't like being reminded that he was in the wrong. "Stop being a hard ass, it's not like you are going to remember this anyway."

"What? You've gotta be kidding me." Ichigo's color was coming back and breath was evening out. It didn't make sense that his recovery was faster than possible, but at the moment he didn't even notice."

"Nope, you're stabilized. Good night." Grimmjow said sweetly before touching Ichigo's forehead and said a single word in German that Ichigo didn't understand.

"Schalf."

Then everything went black.

* * *

 **A/N: Review and all that stuff. Even if you're from the future tell me how you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

I apologize in advance for my sarcasm. There was a little bit of it in chapter one, but I laid it on a bit more thick in chapter two and future chapters. I can't really help myself. Also I forgot to mention this in chapter one since I'm new to this entire fanfiction thing, but I don't own Bleach or any of its characters. Anyway I hope you enjoy chapter two.

* * *

Chapter 2

Ichigo woke up with a migraine that his alarm clock wasn't helping. It sucked that he had to go to a morning class. It sucked even more because he was sure that he didn't take a shower the night before, or even brush his teeth, and he was positive that he fell asleep before finishing any of the homework that he was planning to do.

He felt gross and in pain, everything ached and he was covered in sweat with his sheets clinging to him from the dampness. Ichigo pulled them off of him in disgust and was greeted with the cold of the morning. With a minute of hesitation as he closed his eyes he considered skipping class. It was really unlike him to even consider it. It was incredibly difficult to get up and starting the day, but it wasn't as hard as thinking back to what happened last night. He remembered getting dinner, Izuru, Shuuhei, and Renji. Orihime and Uryu joined them…and something else…

"Morning," Grimmjow greeted once he noticed Ichigo was awake.

"Fuck you." Ichigo immediately said.

Grimmjow looked startled. "Excuse me?" Shit.

It was rare for Grimmjow to wake up before Ichigo especially since they both learned how to differentiate between their alarms after a few days of rooming together. That wasn't the main focus of the morning though. It was the fact that Ichigo was holding his neck where the two fang marks used to be.

Grimmjow's face went pale when he recognized this action immediately. He removed the bandages when he was sure Ichigo was deep asleep and his skin reverted back to its usual state. The marks were no longer there, but Ichigo didn't need to say anything for Grimmjow to realize that Ichigo remembered what happened.

"Where did they go? There was no way that was a dream." Ichigo asked with total confidence in his voice. As soon as he heard Grimmjow's voice he remembered everything. It was the last thing he heard before falling asleep.

The color returned to Grimmjow's face as he realized that it was still possible to save his skin.

"What are you talking about, Ichigo?"

"You are the shittiest liar ever." Ichigo said immediately. Welp, there went Grimmjow's last hope. "Shut up and take responsibility, you stupid blood sucker."

Grimmjow looked at him shocked. There was no doubt in Ichigo's mind that Grimmjow was a vampire and if that was the case then he was sure that he tried to use some kind of spell on him to make him forget what happened last night. As cocky as Grimmjow sounded, it seemed that he was able to hold onto his memories.

Grimmjow approached him again touching his forehead and saying that weird word again trying again to wipe his memories, but to his distain Ichigo stood there not even falling asleep this time. Grimmjow took a deep breath and released it returning a glare at Ichigo.

"Shit, what a pain. Looks like I'm going to have to live with this."

Ichigo looked at him angrily still feeling his neck looking for the slightest indent in his neck just to find none. He can tell he is right by the way Grimmjow was acting, but it's still kind of a hard truth to swallow even though the supposed vampire was standing right in front of him muttering some word to try to make Ichigo lose his memories.

Ichigo was always the type to only believe things that he's actually seen. Even though he has seen what happened last night from a first person point of view he kind of wished he had those bite marks on his neck so he could have physical proof; it'll help him hold on to his sanity. The fact that he shared a room with a monster that had the potential to kill him, and almost succeeded in killing him, wasn't exactly in his plans to become a doctor.

Seriously, the last thing he needed was something that destroyed his sense of what is real and what is fantasy. He enjoyed a good sci-fi or fantasy book or manga every now and then, but wasn't this a bit on the ridiculous side?

"What do you mean you have to live with? Do you know what I'm dealing with? My whole reality is crushed, dammit!" Ichigo yelled making his migraine throb. "Stop thinking about yourself for a second," He really needed to stop yelling so early in the morning. It was really unlike him to freak out so much. Even when his dad decided to wake him up by attacking him all Ichigo usually did was kick him in the face and move on with his day.

He hated the way he sounded right now. He didn't feel like himself. He was usually so tough, but it wasn't like he had the chance to really prove that since coming here. He had every right to freak out, but he was acting like he was the only one that was involved in this. Even knowing this he couldn't help himself.

He was pissed and lost. Seriously, this isn't normal. Even if part of him rejected the crazy plot twist that was currently happening in his life he knew that there was no point in being that character that refused to believe that vampires exist. He was just attacked by one last night; there was no point in playing dumb.

"You have no idea." Grimmjow growled. "Once someone knows I'm a vampire it is my responsibility to making sure they don't do or say anything stupid. It's not like I can murder you. It isn't easy to get away with that like it was a hundred years ago. So now the alternative is to watch over and protect you."

Ichigo hushed up as soon as Grimmjow started talking about murder. He made it sound like the only reason he isn't going to kill Ichigo now was because he was afraid of getting caught. If this took place during a time where forensics science wasn't as developed he wouldn't hesitate to kill him and probably devour what was left of him.

"I was totally prepared for a situation like this and mastered the art of wiping memories, but no, mister strawberry over here doesn't like having his memories wiped and won't forget something that is better forgotten."

Ichigo would usually say something about the intentional insult at the end, but he was kind of held up not only on the murder part, but the part where Grimmjow said that it was his job to watch over him. In fact he was even more concerned about the 'watch over part.' Was it what he thought it meant? This wasn't _Twilight,_ dammit! Wait, was it? Was he the female protagonist? What was her name again? Bella? Shit, this isn't the time to try to remember insignificant shit like that.

"What exactly do you mean by that Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked.

"Huh, which part? I was ranting for a while."

"The watch after part." Ichigo stated.

"Oh, that? Yeah, you might want to get used to me being around because it looks like you're stuck with me."

Ichigo tried to muster an educated response to that statement. "Huh?" Was all that he could come up with at the moment. This wasn't _Twilight_ , dammit. He was sure of it this time, it wasn't.

"Don't harp on it too much. Just think of me as some guardian angel or something more comforting. Try to avoid the word stalker vampire as much as possible. Oh, and forget about the fact that I have the potential to kill and eat you at any time. It'll help your mental state stay intact." Grimmjow joked. Great, glad that he was still finding a way to enjoy himself through all of this shit. Asshole.

This seriously wasn't _Twilight_ , dammit. He didn't even like _Twilight_. The only reason he watched it was because his ex-girlfriend loved it and made him watch it with her. His little sister, Yuzu couldn't even get him to watch it a second time.

"Oh yeah, and I'm gonna need some blood as compensation, you know, for watching you and stuff, keeping you safe. At least I have a steady source of food now, no more paying for blood hookers."

That annoyed Ichigo. He didn't like Grimmjow making all of the decisions for him. Nor was he used to Grimmjow talking so much since they were never really friends. Also it's not like he hired Grimmjow to protect him. He kind of decided it for himself. "What if I refuse?" Ichigo asked trying to keep his anger in check as well as testing out the waters. There was no way he was going to play by Grimmjow's rules.

Before his brain could register what was going on he found himself pushed back on his bed with Grimmjow on top of him. The crappy college mattress sank down at the weight of two people on top of it. Ichigo's mouth hung slightly open still registering the sudden attack as he stared into the icy cyan eyes that were now glaring down at him now holding a certain danger in them that could even make a professional wrestler tremble.

"You don't have a choice about me watching you. As for the blood part, me taking it by force is an option." Grimmjow said on top of him. He leaned in closer so that his mouth was right next to his neck. "Wanna test it?"

Ichigo shook, but he couldn't tell if it was out of fear or Grimmjow's warm breath on his neck. He couldn't muster any words, but settled for shaking his head.

"Atta boy." Grimmjow said smugly as he ran his hand through Ichigo's orange hair as if he were petting a dog. Ichigo couldn't even register Grimmjow teasing him since his mind was still stuck on the seriousness in the vampires eyes. He was serious. Grimmjow got bored of the lack of reaction Ichigo was giving him so he climbed off of him. He got comfortable sitting at the edge of the bed that wasn't even his, sitting up so that he still toward over Ichigo and held an air of dominance even if his back was turned towards him.

"We can discuss ground rules later. Rather, I will establish them later since I'm not sure if you'd be able to keep up if I gave you the entire vampires exist and shit story."

After staring at Ichigo's cross face he decided that it was best if he got off the fiery orangette's bed. True, Ichigo's face was always like that and he always looked angry, but this time he could tell that Ichigo was actually pissed off and not just wearing his permanent scowl especially now since Ichigo snapped out of his shocked state from just having a vampire on top of him threatening to drink from him. Grimmjow had to admit that he was impressed that Ichigo was able to adjust so quickly, but he wasn't adjusting fast enough for him. He wanted to get this part over with.

With that Grimmjow left the room leaving Ichigo alone to process everything by himself. Ichigo thought for sure that he would be rid of his roommate in a month, but if what he says is true then either Grimmjow is following him home to Japan or he's going to be dragged back to Germany. Being dragged to a country where he didn't know the language or know anyone except for an arrogant vampire, sorry, 'guardian angel.'

Can he just stab Grimmjow with a wooden stake hoping that the legend is true and that he turns to dust? No, if the wooden stake thing doesn't work then he could be charged with murder or Grimmjow being pissed which can lead to things getting even more complicated.

Would it be a better idea to run right now and not look back? Just hop on a plane and go back to Japan, apologize to Renji later. Resume his studies at his original University while the flames died out as he continues aiming to become a doctor and trying to forget the fact that his old roommate for an abroad program was a blood sucking monster that wasn't supposed to be real.

This story is a predictable one and one that he didn't want any part in. A normal human getting dragged along on this supernatural adventure and walking a path of blood. Getting used to the sight of dead bodies everywhere he crossed and risking his own life regularly. That's the last thing he needed, being a doctor was his ambition and he can't do that if he's being looked after by a mythical beast. He also didn't want any of those said bodies to be the bodies of his friends. He wouldn't know what to do if one of those bodies were Renji.

Whatever he was planning to do he couldn't think properly if Grimmjow was hanging over him. He needed to get some distance fast, which means ignoring how disgusting he felt and go to class.

Ichigo got ready in record time; He dry swallowed some medicine for his headache, and washed his face with an alcohol pad so that he could at least live with himself for going to class without showering, at least he was a little less gross. As he was about to open the door Grimmjow was in doorway. He sighed and pulled Ichigo back into the room by the handle on his backpack.

"Can't a guy take a piss without you running off by yourself?" Grimmjow asked. "I didn't even form our contract yet."

"What are you even talking about?" Ichigo asked, but before he knew it he was thrown against a wall again with his back towards Grimmjow.

Grimmjow pulled off his backpack and pulled up his shirt over his head and threw it next to him focusing on his pinned roommate's bare back.

"I've never done this before so cross your fingers." Grimmjow admitted.

Grimmjow clung onto Ichigo between his neck and right shoulder blade with his mouth. He sucked hard conscious not to break skin since the taste of his blood would probably drive him to go into frenzy again. Being this close to him was already messing up his senses.

A fresh hickey was left there bright red and wet. Grimmjow stepped away and admired his handy work. "With that I can tell where you are unless that magic decides to fail on me too, but it seems to be working. Not only can I tell where you are, but also your emotional state so I can tell whether you are in trouble or not. I don't care where you go as long as I am running distance away from you."

"Was there a better way of doing that besides leaving a hickey?" Ichigo gasped, suddenly feeling dizzy his face flushed as he started crumpling against the wall.

"I prefer the term 'hematoma.' It's less intimate." Grimmjow smirked. "But you could call it whatever you want." He said winking teasingly. Ichigo never understood why his roommate who he didn't even consider a friend insisted on messing with him.

"I'm surprised that you actually knew what that word meant."

"It's just a freaking contract spell, no need to get smart." Grimmjow grumbled.

"Stop calling it a contract." Ichigo growled. "This was completely one-sided and there wasn't exactly a dotted line that I needed to sign."

"Wasn't my first choice either, princess." Grimmjow said slapping Ichigo's other bare shoulder blade. Ichigo flinched at the contact, expecting it to hurt more than it did.

"Was there a reason for throwing me against a wall and taking my shirt off entirely? He asked deciding it was best to ignore Grimmjow's obvious teasing.

Grimmjow shrugged. "Besides the contract? I don't know, fan service?"

Ichigo glared at Grimmjow over his shoulder and then sighed deciding once again that it was best not to engage with his new vampire stalker's taunts. Shit, this was going to be his everyday now wasn't it?

* * *

It's been a long time since he hung out with Grimmjow. During the first few weeks of the abroad program he made it a point to hang out and try to become friends with his roommate even though he didn't get the best vibes from him. Ichigo has always been able to tell whether he would become great friends with someone or not, but the vibe he got from Grimmjow was that he was able to live with him even if he could be a total slob, and was a total dick. At least now he understood why Grimmjow's aura always felt so dangerous.

His instincts amazed him sometimes but it was too bad that they didn't exactly help this time around. His original thoughts were that they can cultivate a friendship if they hung out and got used to each other, but he didn't get his hopes up. Now here they were inseparable even if it was unwillingly. Izuru and Shuuhei would be jealous.

Walking with Grimmjow reminded him how much of an eye catcher he was. Grimmjow was tall and muscular, his face was angular and handsome, and he had an intimidating demeanor that gave him that mysterious air around him. His sexy blue hair was messy, but seemed to fall into all of the right places that could make any girl swoon and his tattoos under his eyes give him a dangerous and risky bad boy vibe. He was basically every girl's dream. He didn't give them a sideways glance, but Ichigo couldn't ignore all the blushing and giggling. It made him feel self-conscious just standing next to him.

Ichigo himself could also be considered quite handsome. Back at his old high school it wasn't even uncommon for him to find a love letter in his shoe locker. He has experienced the entire girls blushing and whispering thing. He was almost six feet and muscular himself, but definitely not as muscular as his bulky roommate, but he had a lean swimmers body that probably came from his experience in martial arts. At college though, he tended to attract different fans. There were still plenty of girls that stared at him as he walled passed them, but he got a lot more attention from guys then what he was used to. They were probably jocks trying to recruit him onto their teams just like they did during high school.

He used to make money by temporarily joining a sports club for a fee. That money was eventually spent on studying abroad in America. Now look what he's stuck with all that money he spent on the program was now responsible for his crushed reality and the blue haired vampire walking next to him.

There was a difference between those high school jocks and these guys though. It was slight, but Ichigo was able to pick it up. There was a different vibe from the way they looked at him, some kind of hunger, but it wasn't for his natural talent. Was he sensing a bit of desire in those gazes?

He flinched when Grimmjow pushed his back and looked sternly at them and then him, egging Ichigo to walk faster so he can finish escorting him so that he can separate himself from him. It was either that or he was also sensing those guys' gazes. He hoped for the first one, if Grimmjow was also thinking what he was thinking then it made it more probable that he was right.

As soon as Grimmjow nudged him on one of the guys that they were passing quickly grabbed Ichigo's wrist making Ichigo's eyes grow from the sudden tug. He looked up to see large bald guy that was even taller than Grimmjow. He also had face tattoos, red marks that looked tribal. He couldn't tell what race he was nor did he question why everyone seemed to have face tattoos when everyone was supposedly in college (but seriously, Renji, Shuuhei, and Grimmjow all have face tattoos.) He was more annoyed that he has been tugged around way too much for one day and it was only the beginning of the day.

He pulled his arm away from the large man's grasp and was about to tell him off, but before he could do so Grimmjow grabbed the guy by the chin pulling him down so he could look him in the eyes to see just how pissed off that made him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Grimmjow snarled.

People started to look over and whisper. Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow by the wrist and pulled him away walking him towards the direction they were originally going in.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Ichigo asked in frustration. Seriously who was watching over who? They would have totally gotten in trouble if he let that continue. It looked like Grimmjow was about ready to crush that guys jaw in his hand.

"Making sure that guy knows his place. Did that guy seriously think he had the right to be grabbing you?" Grimmjow huffed.

Ichigo kept pulling Grimmjow making sure to keep a faster pace to try to leave the scene that they almost created. Grimmjow pulled him back to try to slow down the pace and put himself back in control, ripping his arm out of Ichigo's hand.

"Whatever, that happens all the time." Ichigo huffed finally agreeing to walk slower besides Grimmjow.

Grimmjow looked at him oddly when he said that. "Wait, that happens all the times?" He looked coldly at Ichigo as he looked like he was trying to contain his rage. Seriously, this guy had an even bigger temper then he does. Ichigo just nodded not feeling threatened since the rage wasn't directed at him.

"Do you get catcalled too?" Grimmjow asked scoffing as if he was trying to play it off as a joke, but it wasn't working to well in his favor.

"All the time." Ichigo admitted.

"What the fuck? And you don't do anything about it?" Grimmjow growled. Ichigo shrugged knowing that the anger still wasn't fixed on him.

"I used to when I was in high school, guys and girls. It didn't happen as much back then and they were mostly guys picking fights with me. My dad told me that I might get in trouble one day even though he was the one that taught me how to fight. It doesn't happen too much when I'm on campus, but it still happens sometimes. I can't really do anything about it since I will get in trouble if I get into a fight with them." Ichigo said. "So do me a favor and don't start anything."

Grimmjow huffed. "Don't count on it. I don't want people all over you when you are just doing something as simple as walking to class."

"You get used to it." Ichigo sighed.

"That isn't something you should just get used to. You should teach them a lesson."

"Too many people to teach," Ichigo said now completely tired of the conversation they were having. There was no way to convince him to let it go. If he decided to pick a fight with everyone that grabbed or catcalled at Ichigo then he would be in prison…though he wasn't really sure how prison would work with a vampire.

They reached their intended destination without causing too large of a conflict and Ichigo was already tired of being with his aggressive roommate, so tired in fact that he was considering class to be a break. As Ichigo was about to walk in the room he was pulled back.

"What?" Ichigo asked in surprise at the sudden tug cold sweat appearing on his forehead as he almost fell over. Ichigo has officially lost track on how many times he was grabbed and shoved around today.

"Are you _fucking_ serious?" Grimmjow asked through his teeth in a hiss.

"What?"

Grimmjow sighed. "If something goes wrong try to fend for yourself as best you can and I'll be there before you know it."

With that Grimmjow walked off leaving Ichigo alone and a bit curious as well as nervous about what he was talking about. The only problem he's ever had in that class was the threat of him falling asleep and he wasn't sure if exhaustion fell under Grimmjow's responsibilities. If it was then he was failing miserably since being with him was enough to make him wish for the day to end so he could go back to their room and back to sleep.

Heck what the fuck even are his responsibilities were in the first place? He wasn't sure what Grimmjow was supposed to be watching him for. Wasn't it to make sure Ichigo didn't blab about his big bloodsucking secret? If that was the case Ichigo could promise not to tell anyone a million times, but I guess words won't carry very well with a secret that big.

Ichigo wouldn't be able to benefit from it though. It was one night that he could easily forget over time. Sure, it was a night that crushed his reality, but if nothing supernatural happened to him in the next few years Ichigo was sure that he would be able to convince himself that it was a dream or something.

If Grimmjow was supposed to be protecting Ichigo then there wasn't much to protect Ichigo from. The most threatening thing in Ichigo's life right now was the fact that he is in the same dorm room as a vampire, a vampire that almost killed him last night.

Besides that Ichigo has been able to handle himself pretty well back at his home town. Delinquents used to try beating him up over his hair color or jealously because he seemed to be attracting all the attention from the girls at school, but they always ended up as a row of knocked out bodies. He grew up with a crazy father that ambushed him whenever he came home or walked into a different room. He knew how to protect himself and pick his battles.

Whatever Grimmjow was cursing about couldn't be anything more than a pop quiz or something stupid…or something supernatural, but it wasn't like it ever bothered him before. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 **A/N: Review and stuff since I need the acceptance of others to make it through my day. Seeing your reviews really makes my day so I wanted to thank all the people that took the time out of their day to do it. I also wanted to thank the people who added this story to their favorites. I'm honored since I only posted the one chapter, I'll try to make you proud. Please look forward to chapter three.**


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, here is a new chapter. I basically gave up on sleep for this story to progress. It's hard to be a college student with a social life and a fanfiction writer at the same time. Anyway I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 3

Ichigo sat down at his usual seat towards the back. He wasn't the kind of guy that wanted to be actively participating. He was the kind of guy that liked to be able to see everything, especially now. No matter how much he convinced himself that the way Grimmjow acted was nothing but an overreaction or maybe just another stupid prank he couldn't help that he suddenly felt antsy sitting in class. Shit, can Grimmjow tell that he was feeling antsy from that stupid mark he left on his neck? He better not be laughing his ass off right now.

From where he sat he could see everything the professor, the board, the students in front of him, that one other student that always sat in front of him with his laptop open playing _Undertale_ on Steam pretending to be taking notes, but hey he was getting close to beating Sans. He felt more at ease when nothing could escape his sight. Once he sat down another student stood up and walked over to his seat.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" He asked.

Ichigo glanced at him and shrugged. "It's not like I could stop you even if I wanted you."

The guy smirked. "That's true." He slid into the seat to the left of him.

The guy sitting next to Ichigo was named Sosuke Aizen. He was also originally from Karakura University, and went on the same abroad program as him, and dormed in the same dorms as him in both Japan and America. He's seen him around at his university in Japan, but in America it's like he sees him every day.

"Hey Ichigo, why don't we get coffee after class? I'd like to get to know you." Aizen asked.

Ichigo took a short breath. Even though he sees Aizen often he can't shake the weird feeling that he gets around him. He was asking for coffee, but he could sense that he wanted something more from him besides coffee and it's not simple enough for him to ask out right. He seems like the kind of guy that uses round about methods to get people to comply with him, first getting familiar with him so that they trusts him, then he buys gifts for them, then boom, he slips something in their drink, and then they finds themselves in a bathtub full of ice and missing a kidney. It may not be as extreme as he imagines, but that is the vibe that he gets from him. So his instincts yell, stay away and he has always been one to follow his instincts.

For some reason his instincts tended to be right. He seemed to be right that Uryu had a crush on Orihime, and he was right that Grimmjow is dangerous…though that didn't stop him from rooming with him. He doesn't have any real reasons or way to prove why he was having these emotions. There were no actions that took place or any rumors that put him on edge, but there was something about his smooth voice, his tall figure, his gelled hair, his cold eyes, and his mature face made the small hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It was as if he was calculating every move Ichigo made.

"Sorry, I have plans after class." Ichigo lied.

"Really? You always struck me as an introvert that tends to enjoy a bit of quiet time after class. I'm surprised you planned to do something right after instead." Aizen said with a smirk.

Damn, Ichigo thought to himself. He's able to read me like a book. Either that or he stalks me. He already had a vampire stalker/escort, he doesn't need this creep on top of that. Whether he was good at reading people or stalked them it's creepy as hell. The way Aizen read him only succeeded in making Ichigo even more on edge.

"You're right for the most part, but I'm supposed to hang out with my roommate after class." He lied…sorta… It wasn't exactly a lie… probably. Grimmjow was probably going to escort Ichigo back or they were going to hang out after. This entire 'contract' thing was still new to the both of them and he didn't really know what to expect.

"Oh, I don't doubt you, but I do wish we could discuss what I brought up before." Aizen said leaning over closer to the orange haired boy sitting to his right.

Ichigo turned away too nervous to look at the other in the eyes as he felt his face heat up, but felt the rest of his body's temperature drop. The last time they talked, Aizen brought up the fact that he was interested in Ichigo. The way he phrased it made it seem like he liked him in a romantic way, but the vibe he got from him made it seem that he was trying to manipulate him rather than go out for dinner.

Ichigo could live with Aizen having a crush on him; he could later convince him that they could be just friends and then never talk to him again. It was simple enough to just tell him that he was straight…Except for the fact that when he _did_ tell Aizen that he just shrugged and ignored him and continued trying to persuade him to go on a date with him as if 'no, thank you' wasn't in his dictionary.

Not only was Ichigo not interested in him romantically he straight up doubted that Aizen felt that way for him at all. He couldn't tell the reason why Aizen would make up such a lie to try to get closer to him, but he could tell that dating was not what he truly wanted. That was probably one of Ichigo's biggest problems with him. He couldn't tell what he was thinking and no matter how much he resisted the guy he just kept on following him and not letting him maneuver the way he wanted to. Ichigo was going to refuse Aizen to the ends of the earth if he had to. His kidneys were going to remain inside of his body dammit!

"Maybe we could talk about this later" Ichigo said gesturing to the professor that just walked into the room. He was saved by the bell. Ichigo quickly pulled his books out of his bag and visibly changed gears so Aizen would stop talking to him. It was an effective method that made Aizen stay quiet throughout the entire lecture. He had enough dignity and respect to not poke and prod him throughout the lecture. Even total creeps don't want to draw attention to themselves.

The girl that sat next to them was already enough as she listened in on their entire conversation trying to hide her giggles. Why did it seem that the world just wanted to humiliate him? Ichigo asked himself for the twelfth time that day.

* * *

Class was dismissed early so Ichigo thought that would give him a little time to do something before Grimmjow comes to pick him up. Was he finally able to have a little bit of freedom? Or did the universe have other plans that involved destroying all hope he had of having a comfortable life? Even if it was his first day stuck with Grimmjow, it was a simple concept to wrap his head around, annoying as all hell, but simple. It was kind of done to death story line already. The only thing that could make it more typical was if they longed to be together when they were away. It was weird as hell.

The only thing that he found weirder was that he kept on relating his weird connection and his roommate to characters or storylines that could be found in the romance section of the library. What was he trying to do? Predict the future? Not everything that happened in books happens in real life, in fact less so.

Wait; there wasn't a love bond thing in _Twilight!_ That was _Percy Jackson_ , and Percy had one of those connections with his best friend who happened to be a guy…and half goat. Okay, he was safe. This entire thing didn't mean that he was going to end up marrying Grimmjow. They might end up being best friends, which wasn't exactly Ichigo's original plans, the last thing Ichigo needed was a friend who was able to be a bigger asshole then Renji. He needed to start to break his habit of relating his life to books. At the pace his day was going he would probably have more luck relating his life to a fanfiction.

As Ichigo walked out of class Aizen caught up to him much to Ichigo's grievance.

"Since we let out early, why don't we go on that date?" Aizen suggested slowing down as he approached to match the same pace as Ichigo as they walked.

"It would be cutting it kind of close to my other plans." Ichigo excused making his best, fake, sheepish face. It didn't really suit him making Ichigo have to relax his permanent scowl. That in itself was weird. Usually he would snap at people like him telling them just to leave him alone, but they were usually girls and a whole lot less intimidating then Aizen.

"It won't be long, just coffee." Aizen said grabbing hold of Ichigo's hand when he saw him trying to escape.

Ichigo instinctively pulled his hand back and hesitated. He couldn't think of a way to weasel his way out of it, but there was no way he was going to let himself comply with that guy. Frown returning to his face as he was once again being pushed to do something that he didn't want to do as if it was an everyday thing now. Not again, he wasn't going to let that happen again today.

He was about to tell Aizen to leave him alone but before he could there was a sudden tug on his shoulder. Ichigo looked behind him to see Grimmjow. His face loosened up at the sight of him. He wasn't surprised that Grimmjow was there, nor was he rather excited to see him; he was just relieved that he was saved by the bell once again that day. Now he had an excuse to get away.

"Oh Aizen, this is my roommate. Looks like he was let out of class early too so I'm just gonna go hang out with him like we originally planned." Ichigo said as he turned around giving Grimmjow a look urging him to play along instead of deciding to do things by himself again. He started to walk in a different direction waving good bye to him and hoping Grimmjow would follow him without asking any questions or starting up another conflict, but it didn't seem like luck was on his side.

Grimmjow didn't move. Instead he only glowered at Ichigo in some form of annoyance. He grabbed onto Ichigo's shirt collar pulling him back to where he was standing before he decided to withdraw. As Ichigo gasped in astonishment from being jerked strongly from where he was standing Grimmjow pulled down the collar of his t-shirt revealing the hickey that he left before which was now purple.

"Back off, this one's mine." Grimmjow spat out giving Aizen a death glare that made him look like he was about to pounce at his throat if he made the wrong move. His grip on Ichigo's shirt made his knuckles turn white and leave marks where his hand was on the shorter college student's collar. Aizen didn't waver at the obvious threatening look Grimmjow gave him. He didn't know what was more astonishing. Aizen not wavering instead of backing away or engaging in a fight or the fact that Grimmjow did everything in his power to do something that he wouldn't approve of. It's as if Grimmjow's immediate idea about how to resolve conflict is to fight.

Ichigo turned bright red and was too stunned for words. He had to be kidding him. Ichigo tried making Grimmjow let go of his now crinkled up collar, but no matter how frantically he pulled at Grimmjow's hand it was clear that Grimmjow was a lot stronger and he didn't exactly see that it was appropriate to let go of Ichigo yet, which wasn't exactly in Ichigo's best interest since all he wanted to do at that moment was to get the fuck out of there.

The method his more intimidating blue-haired roommate was going for would definitely push Aizen away, but it would also start up unnecessary rumors and be embarrassing as hell. Grimmjow really should learn the difference between what should be kept private and what was allowed to be revealed in the public. He didn't need anyone getting the wrong idea.

Already, he could see whispering from spectators watching this unfold, all people from his class that was just let out and people hanging around the building. The girl that sat next to him in class was still there watching the entire time and couldn't keep herself from giggling and watching as if they were in a TV drama and if she blinked for a second or missed this event she wouldn't see something that was significant to the story line. Ichigo didn't know it was possible, but his face suddenly felt so hot that he became light headed and the heat reached all the way to his ears and down his neck.

"Oh I see, so that's your relationship. Oh well, I'll make him see my way eventually." Aizen said with a hard glare directed at Grimmjow before walking away, not a hint of frustration on his face. Seemed like Grimmjow made a new rival within the first day the two of them were linked. Ichigo couldn't help feeling a little guilty: except for the fact that it wasn't his fault and that he got the _completely_ wrong idea.

He didn't need the two of them fighting over his affection. He wasn't planning on giving it. He doesn't need this hypothetical love triangle when he was sure neither of them even liked him. Is it even still considered a love triangle if both of his supposed lover interests were guys? He was angrier at Grimmjow sticking his nose where it shouldn't be and taking the wrong steps to make this stupid rivalry, seriously it was his fault, but if Ichigo and Grimmjow didn't have this bond he wouldn't have the need to form one.

Wait, he wouldn't have this bond with him if Grimmjow didn't over step his boundaries, suck his blood, and reveal his secrets. That means that this _was_ all Grimmjow's fault. Why the hell was he feeling guilty for him? Stupid emotions.

Ichigo looked up angrily at Grimmjow, trying to avoid the stares from people passing. Seriously, this wouldn't have brought so much attention on them if they weren't three guys with different hair colors. Seriously even in this part of the world orange is still a weird color even if it was his natural color.

"Can you at least try not to start rumors?" Ichigo scolds. "And I don't need you spiking up random rivalries."

"It was necessary. I don't want that creep near you, and I can tell that you want the same thing." Grimmjow said poking where he left the hickey. "You remember? The thing with this spell is that it only spikes up when there is an extreme emotional shift, and let me tell you, you are so creeped out by him that it spiked enough that it was bugging the hell out of me when I was in class."

For some reason Grimmjow seemed extremely irritated to a point that Ichigo was hoping that the negative emotions weren't directed at him. "What was he doing? Sweet talking you? Staring at you star struck during class? Looking at you as if he was undressing you in his mind?"

Ichigo looked downward breaking eye contact with the man returning his glare. "I don't think it's that extreme." He mumbled. He could feel his cold blue eyes looking right through him.

"Is it?" Grimmjow said. "He looked like a total creep. I bet you thought he was planning to rape you."

Ichigo looked at him with an annoyed expression. "I would never accuse someone like that. I expected something along the lines of selling my organs on the black market."

"I'm not sure which one you consider worse, but I do know he is bad news." Grimmjow said not even laughing at Ichigo's assumption like he wouldn't be surprised if that guy _did_ have that in his mind.

Grimmjow tugged him on his arm, leading him away from the building. As they walked Ichigo couldn't help, but notice that Grimmjow glared at anyone who stared at him longer then a second. He couldn't help, but feel like he was being treated like property. The walk back to their dorm felt more like a walk of shame rather than a walk that he took practically every day.

Was he really planning to walk him everywhere and only leave him alone when he was going to class or felt like no one would attack him? It was probably because of that whole guardian thing, but they were only one day into this entire thing and he was sick of it. This couldn't last forever.

* * *

The day went on as normal. They hung out in their room in silence, both on their laptops just like how things were before all of this shit went down. Ichigo was doing homework while Grimmjow was on some weird social media site that he's never seen before. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it felt like both of them wanted to say something, but didn't know how to bring it up.

After a bit more of that tension in the air Grimmjow seemed to decide to just go for it. He closed his computer and looked over to Ichigo's side of the room and immediately demanded attention.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Grimmjow said.

Ichigo closed his own laptop as if he was on standby for when Grimmjow was going to finally decide to say something. He turned towards him and took out his ear buds so that he could hear him. He knew there was no way he would be able to get his work done with his roommate commanding him to pay attention nor was he able to focus with that kind of tension in the air.

Even if he succeeded in pretending that he wasn't there there was no way he would be able to focus after the situation that happened just before coming here and the distraction of trying to figure out how to piece together the reputation that he built at school after the Aizen conflict. He didn't even know how to deal with the fact that his new 'buddy' would glare at everything that moved. There wasn't exactly a devise that would release some sort of smoke and replace everyone's memories after witnessing Ichigo's shame.

He looked over at his roommate making the scowl on his face especially apparent just so his roommate knew just how done Ichigo was with his shit.

"Good, now that I have your attention I have to tell you what's going on here. I'm sure you'll find this intriguing."

Grimmjow scooted over on his bed and gestured that he wanted Ichigo to sit down with him. It's a bit friendlier then what he's used to from his moody and larger built roommate. He's used to him being a dick, but he decided to shut up and take the hint to avoid complications and the possibility of Grimmjow acting like a jerk again.

They could have easily kept the conversation going from his own bed like any other college student having a conversation with their roommate. It wasn't exactly like their dorm room was so big that you couldn't hear him talk from the other end. If they had to live together for an entire mortal life then they should at least try to be friends no matter how much Ichigo rejects the idea of having this asshole as a friend.

Ichigo got up from where he was sitting to satisfy his roommate's weird mood change. If he wasn't planning on being a dick then he could at least play along with his desires.

Grimmjow looked in Ichigo's amber eyes and commanded "I need you to do exactly as I say from this point on, it could concern your safety."

Ichigo looked annoyed at him. "Are you planning to drink my blood or something? Is that why you called me over here?"

Grimmjow shrugged, "We could do that too." He put on a smile and gave Ichigo a hungry look that Ichigo knew was fake. "But not right now. I just need to explain something."

He took a deep breath as if he was getting ready to do something really difficult. "Ichi, that command is a long term one, Aizen is a vampire. It's my job to keep you safe from threats like him."

Ichigo was taken aback for a second, but quickly adjusted. "I knew he was different, but this was not what I was expecting."

"Let me level with you, Aizen may be after your pretty face, but there is a higher possibility that he is after your blood." His roommate explained.

Ichigo sighed he chose to ignore the comment about his 'pretty face' he had gotten used to Grimmjow's insulting attitude a few days into the abroad program and he knew that he was considered to be attractive, but this wasn't the time to fight over something stupid like that. "Is this gonna be that cliché 'my blood tastes better then everyone else's' thing?"

"Glad you're catching on, Berry." He said clicking his tongue and pointing finger guns at him. "Your smell has been bothering me since this program started. The only reason I was able to keep it together was because I have amazing willpower."

"Yesterday your willpower looked more like the willpower of a fat teenager giving up on their diet so they can eat chocolate cake." Ichigo responded rolling his eyes and touching his neck to remind him what happened last night as well as to remind him that the little memory swipe trick didn't work on him.

"Okay, okay, shut the fuck up. I was about to say that I will admit that when I tasted your blood yesterday it was the best thing I've ever had."

"Are you saying my life is in danger because of this?" Ichigo groaned, already tired of being part of every cliché, corny vampire story ever.

"Yes, but not in the way you think. Aizen may want to turn you and make you part of his family and claim your blood as his own."

Ichigo's eyes were bulging. He was right that Aizen wanted something from him, but he didn't understand the concept of claiming his blood as his own. His blood belonged to him; he was already upset that he would have to feed his roommate, though that was still up for debate, but that he was in the sights of another vampire was even more of a pain. In fact it was downright scary.

He thought he was refusing Aizen because he was intimidated by him and that he just wasn't interesting in seeing him more than a classmate, but it seemed that his instincts were right once again. That guy was bad news. At the end of the day, it seemed that Aizen wasn't lying; he did have an interest in him, whether he could consider it romantic or not was still unclear though. What did it mean to make him part of his family anyway? Adopted or something or something a bit more…intimate?

"On the other hand, if you get turned our bond will be broken and I don't have to deal with you anymore, but you'll have to deal with that shit for the rest of your life. Spoiler alert: being a vampire means longer life." Grimmjow said. "And I wouldn't exactly advise spending your entire prolonged vampire life with that fucker. I would rather live with me then that guy any day."

"I get the idea, stay away from Aizen. That's what you mean by my life is in danger?" Mystery solved. The biggest danger that he was in was Aizen trying to turn him, so that means that all he really had to do was keep Grimmjow at a safe distance and he'll come to the rescue if he makes any moves that he doesn't approve of as well as to rebuff any movements that Aizen makes on him. He's been doing that the entire time anyway so what makes this so different.

After the program he's going to need to figure out what comes next, but he was going to give up eventually, right? He can consider this problem to be solved. Now it was time to focus on more important things like his studies. As Ichigo was getting ready to pull himself off of Grimmjow's bed he was suddenly held in his seat by a heavy hand on his shoulder and was greeted with a stern look from Grimmjow.

Ichigo and Grimmjow met eyes, copper on sapphire. Grimmjow opened his mouth to start talking again, but then he quickly closed it and shook his head. "Nevermind."

That annoyed Ichigo. He wouldn't have held him if something wasn't up. "Are you hiding something?"

Grimmjow just shrugged and gave Ichigo a smug look. "I don't know, are you curious?"

"If it concerns my life then yeah, I'm pretty damn curious." Ichigo snapped. He could see Grimmjow trying to manipulate him into dropping it by making it look like he's just teasing again.

Grimmjow sighed, obviously hoping that the atmosphere would lighten if he teased the younger male and hoped that he would also look past his impulsive behavior, but that didn't seem to be the case. He looked back over at Ichigo sternly, like he needed to get his message across.

"It's not important. We are here for only another month, and it's not your job to worry about it. It's mine."

Ichigo hated to give people what they wanted when they were being difficult and he saw that Grimmjow wasn't going to budge and tell him anything, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"I think I should be held responsible for myself. I've been in charge of me for my entire life and just because you are here now doesn't mean that I'm going to hand over that responsibility." Ichigo said.

Grimmjow face lightened up and he reached over placing a heavy hand on Ichigo's head, ruffling his soft orange hair. Ichigo found himself getting used to Grimmjow's more touchy feely actions. He wasn't really sure how he felt about that.

"You are absorbing to much information at once. Can you try letting me take care of things right now? I'm still new to this too and I don't want to screw this up either."

Shit, he actually sounded genuinely serious that time around. He may act like a total asshole all the time, but was this the real Grimmjow? It was kind of sweet and Ichigo kind of wanted to see more of him. He could wait a bit longer couldn't he? He was going to figure it out soon enough wasn't he? He may even figure it out in the next chapter in the story book that was his life. Ichigo pushed Grimmjow's hand off of him by his wrist and climbed off of the blue haired male's bed, deciding to let the subject drop and letting Grimmjow take care of everything. He didn't even notice that he didn't tell Grimmjow who Aizen was.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading. I worked really hard on this. Review and stuff since I need the approval of others to get on with my life. Tell me what parts you liked, if anything in particular made you laugh, or if you want something a bit more fan servicey. I won't take requests to change my story since I basically have the layout for the next few chapters laid out, but I do want to hear what you guys are thinking since I can't read your minds. Telling me how you like it or even your criticism would be a huge help.**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, you know me and I'm not much for talking. I just don't want to bother the people from the future with my problems from the present. Anyway I've started this story since I wanted to try and get better with my writing. I'm pretty good at coming up with elaborate stories, but I feel like my writing style is trash so I decided to try some knew techniques. Tell me how you like it and enjoy chapter 4.

* * *

Chapter 4

Aizen tended to not bother Ichigo when he was with his friends. Even before Ichigo knew that he was a vampire that struck him as suspicious. If he was alone that guy always appeared out nowhere Christian Grey style, but instead of finding that romantic and making him fall for the guy he just found it disturbing like any other levelheaded and logical person that wasn't in a book that was a copy paste from a _Twilight_ fanfiction.

Seriously, a predator doesn't chase after a girl at a party when she is with her friends. He goes after her when she is on the side and drunk, he would be surveying the party from a far, ready to swoop in and help the drunken girl find her way home or the way back to his place to take advantage of her.

Ichigo wasn't planning to be that drunk girl any time soon. He also needed to stop thinking of himself as some damsel in distress. Whatever the case, he knew Aizen's identity so as long as he traveled in groups he should be fine. Hopefully he won't hold it against him if he gets coffee with his friends instead of him…and Grimmjow.

After dinner the night before Orihime said that she wanted to hang out more and sent a group message to everyone who was at that table last night asking to get coffee with her and Uryu. Ichigo had no more class that day and it didn't conflict with his very open schedule so he agreed.

As soon as Ichigo got up to leave the room Grimmjow got up from his bed and followed him without exchanging any words. The compromise was that Grimmjow can follow him as long as he kept a safe distance from him and his friends.

So there they all were, a group of friends just getting coffee, and a creepy muscular guy with electric blue hair that watched their every move. Well, that was the plan, but Grimmjow wasn't exactly subtle. His eyes bored a hole through Ichigo's back and he looked like he was itching to join him. Of course he was going to get recognized at some point.

"Hey, isn't that Ichigo's roommate?" Renji asked looking over his shoulder as they were returning to the table with their coffee. Ichigo's elbow suddenly found its way into his best friend's side, but it was too late. Renji's innocent question grabbed hold of Orihime's overly social and ditzy manner as she pranced over to where Grimmjow was quietly sitting. Uryu followed her promptly like if he gets too far away from her his life would end.

Ichigo placed his forehead face down on the table knowing that he was going to have no say in whether Grimmjow was allowed to join or not while Orihime had a small conversation with him like she didn't realize how potentially dangerous he was. What was in danger was how Ichigo was going to spend his afternoon.

Grimmjow gave her a gleaming smile, nodded, stood up, and started walking towards them. Ichigo didn't need to look up to hear the sound of Grimmjow coming over and he could tell that the guy had a stupidly cocky expression on his face. The chair next to him scooted over and Ichigo could see blue jeans instead of black.

The guy sitting next to Ichigo wasn't exactly Renji like he would have wanted. Ichigo turned his head to the side to glare at his coldhearted roommate. He didn't seem to care instead he gave Ichigo a smug look like he won some kind of contest. He seriously would have liked it if his best friend were to sit next to him instead. At least if Renji were next to him he'd have some sort of safety blanket and it would be easier to ignore the new horror that has walked into his life.

He couldn't tell him what was going on with his new found way of life, this being the first big secret that he had to keep from him, but he still wanted the comfort of having his best friend stay with him as he is shoved down the path of no return.

The café was a small place to hang out for a group of seven people and the tables weren't very accommodating, but they made it work by squeezing in. Grimmjow didn't seem to mind being practically crammed into Ichigo's side. In fact he seemed like he even enjoyed it. It gave him more options to torment him. He even jokingly wrapped his arm around Ichigo's shoulders, making Ichigo have to slap his hand away in a non-joking manner to show that he was clearly not enjoying how the asshole acted around him.

Orihime didn't seem to fully understand the situation though since she just giggled and commented about how close they were. Before today Ichigo would have argued saying that he knew nothing about his roommate, but he was honestly too exhausted to even give any effort to try to defend himself. Not only that, but in the span of a few hours the two of them were closer than Ichigo could have imagined, and it was all against his will.

There was one thing that Ichigo couldn't help noticing though. Uryu was blatantly glaring at Grimmjow. Ichigo has never seen Uryu as the jealous type, but it must have been hard to see his crush talking so animatedly with a ruggedly handsome guy like Grimmjow. No, that wasn't it. Even though Orihime looked like she was having a good time talking to him, those looks had nothing to do with Orihime.

Uryu couldn't have known Grimmjow. Grimmjow is from Germany and Uryu is from Japan. Unless they met during the abroad program which is highly improbable considering he never leaves Orihime's side and she didn't seem to know him. They could have met in class or something though that wouldn't really make sense since they were different majors. Unless they had to attend a class that was required for both of their majors or they had to do something for their core credits they should have very different classes. Even with that Grimmjow had a very bad habit of skipping classes, calling school a waste of time and money.

Grimmjow seemed to be holding Orihime's attention though since she actively talked trying to find out more about him. Hopefully he won't try to have sex with her. He didn't really seem that interested in what she had to say and he could even see that he was even somewhat annoyed with her constant questions and introductions, but Ichigo still didn't trust him.

He knew about how Grimmjow's hormones worked and he knew that he just liked sex. Whether he liked the girl (and occasionally guys) or not didn't matter as long as she could get him off. Ichigo didn't need that kind of drama on top of everything else he tried to pile on top of him. He also secretly hoped that Uryu would actually get up the nerve to confess or something happens that makes them get together. He couldn't stand watching this friend zone stuff anymore. Seriously, why does childhood friend always have to equal friend zone?

Izuru and Shuuhei made it apparent that they only needed themselves to have fun as they chatted happily with each other not paying any mind to anyone at the table. The oblivious Orihime eventually noticed and reacted to Uryu's dirty looks to their new 'friend' and 'accidentally' elbow him in the side.

Ichigo tried to hold a conversation with Renji, but having to talk around the human (vampire) barrier that was Grimmjow made it really hard for him to do that. Renji was talking about the conversation he had with Rukia over Skype. Renji may have acted like a bit of a horn dog, the evidence of that being the big purple hickey that was on his neck that he didn't bother to hide, but the one girl he has ever even considered settling down with was her. They have had a history as friends that Ichigo didn't know about until a few years ago. She became hard to approach after she was adopted into a family of people who had some rich or noble standing.

Ichigo didn't understand how someone's family made it so much harder to be with someone you considered your best friend. Ichigo being in the same class as Rukia and becoming friends with her was what let her back into Renji's life. After a bit of an awkward beginning they eventually acted as if they were never apart. In fact it was now hotter than ever. It seemed that getting older and the time apart made them more into each other even though no one ever believes the entire 'distance makes the heart grow fonder' thing. Renji's rekindled friendship was the thing that made Renji want to ask Rukia out.

Though Renji is brimming with confidence around every other girl he flirts with, Rukia is the only one that gives him cold feet when he even considers confessing to her which was a little depressing considering they were childhood friends and that their friendship seemed like it could become something potentially more from a spectators point of view, namely Ichigo.

Ichigo egged him to do it a million times because after hanging around both Renji and Rukia it was apparent that she would be willing to go for it. Heck she would totally be into it too! Their sexual tension is through the roof! Many times Ichigo expected Rukia to decide to wear the pants and confess to him first, but it looks like she decided to wait as if she had all the time in the world and that Renji wasn't going anywhere.

During all of their respected conversations Grimmjow kept on looking over to the right where a lone person sat at another table sipping his coffee. He kept on facing towards their party, probably because he was nervous as all hell that an intimidating, tall and muscular man with sharp canines, tattoos under his eyes, and fucking _blue_ hair kept on looking over and giving him a death glare ignoring the large chested girl that was sitting in front of him as she talked away. He looked as if he was considering whether to attack or mug the poor guy.

Ichigo took a closer look at the guy. He had to admit that the guy looked mega odd though. He looked really dark in the light of the café and probably outside the shop too. He had a black knit cap which basically pulled over his eyes. To be 100% sure that no one could see his eyes he wore silver sunglasses even though he was indoors in a dimly lit café, shit he probably couldn't see anything clearly inside. On top of that to make him look even more ridiculous, he wore this orange scarf.

In Ichigo's opinion it was pretty warm outside, absolutely not the kind of weather to wear knit hats or scarves, but it wasn't exactly sunglasses season yet either. It was May and there was no need to wear sunglasses indoors, even if it is always sunny in doucheville.

Grimmjow noticed Ichigo following his gaze and took that as an opportunity to take Ichigo's wrist and drag him out of the café using the good old fashioned Irish goodbye that wasn't exactly subtle.

"Wait, Grimmjow" was all his friends heard as the taller and insistent man dragged him out of the glass doors of the café leaving behind the coffee that they have been drinking like they didn't have time to throw out their own trash.

"What the hell?" Ichigo asked now outside the café, the sun directly pointing at him making his spiky orange hair even more vibrant then it already was. "We were only there for like twenty minutes, just because you want to glare at everyone that so much as looks at me for more than a second doesn't mean that I should leave."

Grimmjow continued to pull Ichigo away from the café as Ichigo tried to pry his arm out of Grimmjow's vice grip. "You are in a deeper hole then I thought you were in. How long has that guy been following you before I started to watch over you?"

"Huh?" Ichigo gave up fighting and started to walk besides Grimmjow.

"That guy is Kaname Tosen, one of Aizen's most loyal clan members. How long has he been following you? Grimmjow repeated.

"I've never seen that guy before in my life." Ichigo responded. He thought back, never has he seen a guy dressed like that before. He reminded him of some stupid celebrity his sister and his dad loved, Don Kanonji the spirit medium. He's never seen anyone like that in America though.

Hipsters may be the fad in this part of the world, but he goes beyond anything he has seen during the abroad program. He really did hope that was the first time that guy was watching him. He thought that he would be safe from Aizen if he traveled in groups, but that won't mean anything if he decided to send spies to watch him in his place. If that wasn't the first time he was being followed then it was official that he was never safe when he went outside.

The grip on Ichigo's wrist got tighter causing him to yelp a little. Grimmjow paid him no mind as he struggled harder which caused a few people to look over. Grimmjow seemed to be hiding something again this time it seemed to hurt him more than it did before.

"I'm not gonna let Aizen have you." Grimmjow muttered, hardly audible as if he didn't want Ichigo to hear him. When they were far enough from the coffee shop he slowed down his pace so that instead of dragging the smaller guy, Ichigo was able to walk alongside him. He didn't let go of his wrist as if he expected Ichigo to run away if he let him go or that Ichigo was the only thing that was letting him have a grip on reality.

"Awww, you found someone you like Grimmy?" Someone said from behind them. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat willing himself to turn around to face whoever was behind them. Grimmjow looked over his shoulder since he would have to let go of Ichigo's wrist if he wanted to fully turn around. He rolled his eyes and walked around Ichigo so that he can also face the person who dared to insult his pride, turning Ichigo around as well.

The perpetrator was a beautiful girl with sea foam green hair and an especially large bust that must have been as big as or even bigger than Orihime's. Despite her teasing words her eyes looked dopey and childish like she was the spirit of a mischievous child that possessed the body of a grown woman.

Ichigo immediately recognized her as the girl that sat next to him during his bio class, the one that he had earlier that day. She always watched Aizen's advances on him and even watched when Grimmjow showed off the hickey that was on Ichigo's neck and embarrassing the hell out of him. Well it seemed like she was a friend of his roommates, joy.

"What the fuck, Nelliel? I told you to stop popping out of nowhere." Grimmjow shouted.

"Ohhhh, so you _do_ like Ichigo." She said. "You did seem excited to have someone of his blood type sharing a room with you."

Grimmjow looked at her furiously like he was about to punch her or at least fantasizing about how much he wanted to hurt her. Even the grasp he had on Ichigo's wrist faltered a little bit.

"I was excited to have him in my class so I could see him for myself." Nelliel said touching her chin and looked at the boy in question from top to bottom like she was examining a science experiment. "You seem to be picking fights with the wrong people though. Aizen really wants this one, and you made a really big scene this morning."

Grimmjow's glare never left her dopey eyes trying to contain his anger. His blood was heating up the more they talked and was heating up to a point where it would turn into molten lava. "That's none of your business." He exclaimed.

"It is my business." She said. "If you pick a fight with Aizen then I'm going to be involved in it too."

Ichigo, tired of being treated like some sort of accessory or museum display decided to speak for the first time during this entire exchange. "I'm sorry, but what the hell is going on?"

A huge grin spread across the girl in question's face as if she had forgotten that he was a living and human thing that she could talk to. "Hi Ichigo, I'm Nelliel Tu Oderschvank, you can call me Nel. I sit next to you in class, remember? I'm Grimmjow's sister."

Grimmjow looked at her exasperated and then looked at Ichigo. Ichigo cocked his head and looked at her like she had grown a second head. Before he could freak out about the new knowledge that he had gained about the roommate he had for five month the first thought that came to his head was "you two don't look anything alike." He internally groaned as he realized that he has said that embarrassing line outloud.

Nel giggled profusely and all Grimmjow could do in response was hold his temples and clutch his eyes shut.

"I keep telling you not to say stuff that will confuse other people." He yelled at the girl in front of him who only shrugged. "We aren't related by blood. She's just in the same clan as me. She isn't really my sister. She just calls herself that." Grimmjow explained as if Ichigo being a noob to this entire vampire life style was a huge burden on him.

Nel nodded, "You know, the clan Grimmjow is trying to recruit you in?"

Ichigo backpedaled to keep himself from falling over, Grimmjow's grasp didn't let him go far though. "Wait what?" Now that he was backtracking a bit he could remember her saying something about Grimmjow liking him, but he didn't know what to take from that.

Nel looked Ichigo in the eyes like she was trying to read him before looking at Grimmjow.

"You didn't tell him?" She asked flatly, knowing the answer as she said it.

"I wasn't exactly planning to." Grimmjow scowled. He turned his head to the side and pouted, letting go of Ichigo so he could cross his arms over his chest.

Nel walked over, raised her hand above her head and slapped Grimmjow across the face. Hard, hard enough to leave an imprint, and it looked like it burned as much as an intense sunburn. Ichigo could almost feel the head radiating off of it and he was only standing next to him. Heck, bellow him since he was shorter then him.

"So you planned to wait till the end of the program, drag him home with you, and make him join our clan without him knowing?" She asked angrily. "I don't see your thought process in this, especially the part where you forgot to mention you having to turn him."

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow and then Nel in shock as they started to fight. Even though it was about Ichigo he had no idea what the hell was going on. What was this about him joining the clan and him being turned? He didn't think he needed an explanation on how he was getting fucked. He thought he only had two options, to just close his eyes and let it happen or to try to escape kicking and screaming.

"What the fuck?" He asked in an effort to get the quarreling siblings to bring their attention back on him. It didn't exactly work though.

"Yeah, that was basically the plan. You're in the same class as him where you get to see from a front row seat of how Aizen treats him. You should see how oblivious this guy is." A comment that surely hurt Ichigo considering he was the kind of person that liked to believe that he had a firm grasp on how the world works, his instincts hardly ever let him down, but now that he was thrown into an element that was entirely new to him he didn't feel at fault for being clueless every now and then. It's his first day, dammit.

Ichigo didn't think it was possible, but she looked at Grimmjow with even more fury in her eyes.

"Tell him everything, right now." She hissed through gritted teeth, an action that didn't seem to suit her since she always seemed so happy go lucky.

He could no longer recognize the bubbly girl he used to sit next to in class. Now she seemed to have eyes of a demon and was deciding whether or not the guy who was holding on to him was going to be on the other end of her wrath. "If you don't I will."

* * *

Ichigo was about ready to go back to Japan. There was no way he was staying here after hearing everything he's just heard. This place was crawling with vampires? Yeah, it sort of made sense since he just learned about a few in the span of one day, but an entire convention?

Let's go back a bit. This place was filled with humans and a ton of different clans of vampires all looking to turn some humans into vampires so they could increase the size of their clan. There was a bunch of other mumbo jumbo that was going on besides that like the fusion of other clans and treaties being formed, but the only part that really stood out to Ichigo was the entire recruiting process.

"You want me to be in your clan?" Ichigo asked angrily. He was angry at Grimmjow for a lot of things, but there was one thing that Grimmjow neglected to tell him and planning behind his back wasn't exactly a good way to treat someone that he was supposedly stuck with, but apparently that was a lie too.

"You were lying about having to watch over me?" Ichigo was part relieved about that part but that didn't change the fact that the guy was choosing to. He was angrier about the reason why he chose to. Grimmjow was secretly recruiting him into his clan without him knowing. It didn't seem possible, but apparently it was working until now.

"That's the entire reason for this stupid hickey?" Allegedly, Grimmjow lied about that too. It meant that he was on probation and he was still up for grabs for any vampire that can convince him to join their own respective clan. The entire purpose of the mark was just to show that a clan had specific interest in him and warned others to back off. In Ichigo's case though it may as well be a marker that he was totally aware of everything that was going on, but that would have been a lie.

If another clan wanted to fight for him then that was allowed he was only no longer on the market once he is turned. Aizen can follow him to the ends of the world until Ichigo decided to give up and become a vampire. Except he won't let that happen. He wanted to stay human. He was born one and he was planning to die as one too. He didn't like the option of how he wanted to spend his life being robbed from him.

Grimmjow didn't look in the least bit guilty. "Better than being in Aizen's clan." He disputed.

 _Smack_ , Ichigo slapped Grimmjow exactly where Nel did, but instead of making the imprint on his face turn back to the original color Nel left he instead felt his own hand turn hot and start throbbing instead while Grimmjow didn't seem moved by the slap at all.

It felt as if Ichigo slapped a steel wall as hard as he could and the hot and tingly feeling in his hand was now reminding Ichigo that his roommate is a fucking vampire and is apparently a lot stronger than him. How the fuck was he supposed to know that vampires are built like cheetahs and brick walls?

After feeling the pain in his hand he realized that he was lucky that he didn't punch him like he would usually. His instincts said that slapping him would have gotten his point across just fine. If he did punch him the bones in his hand probably wouldn't be intact.

"Don't pull this shit with me. All I wanted was a normal life, but you had to ruin any chance of me getting that." Ichigo yelled before taking off away from the two stunned siblings.

Grimmjow was about to chase after him, but Nel immediately held onto his shoulder preventing him from following.

"He just took in a ton of information that changed the course of his entire life. He's really angry at you so you should at least give him some space to cool down." Nel said.

Grimmjow looked at her angrily. "It's your fault I had to tell him everything."

Nel shrugged then locked her gaze back on Grimmjow. "If I didn't do it now he would be way angrier at you later on."

Grimmjow huffed looking away back towards where Ichigo was stomping off, but he was already out of sight. Sure, Grimmjow would be able to find him because the mark he left on him, but not seeing him still made him feel a bit uneasy. He sighed and put his hand gingerly on his cheek where the fiery human slapped him, excepting the fact that he was going to have to leave Ichigo alone for a little bit longer.

This was unfair for Ichigo, he didn't choose this and Grimmjow knew that. As much as he tried to push his nagging conscience to the side, he couldn't help feel bad for the kid that just wanted to be a doctor.

"It's better than me telling him why you wanted to recruit him in the first place."

Grimmjow huffed. "That is something I don't plan on telling him until way later in the game."

* * *

Ichigo was in his room packing. Ichigo felt stupid about planning to run away from his problems, but it was his fight or flight instinct kicking in and there was no way he was going to win a fight with a monster. Ichigo heard his phone buzz for the fifth time since he started, but he ignored it assuming that it was Grimmjow.

If he stayed any longer than he is going to find himself being dragged to Germany to be turned into a vampire, join a vampire clan where he has to spend the rest of his life with Grimmjow, in a country where he doesn't know the language and where he can't see his family or friends again.

It all sounds so ridiculous, if you told him yesterday that this shit was going to happen if he went back to his room that night, he would have spent the night at Renji's and filled out a request for a roommate change even though he was sure it wouldn't go through with only one month left in the semester, if that was the case then he would have done what he was doing right now, getting ready to leave.

After last night his sense of reality was basically snapped in half like a dry twig, but after that last conversation with Grimmjow and his apparent sister it felt as if it was being grounded to powder.

Why the hell did Grimmjow tell him that being a vampire sucked if he was planning to turn him into one? For a guy who was apparently going into a business major he's a terrible salesman. Who would tell their client that their product sucks?

He seriously wished that he could have roomed with Renji, but the abroad program apparently didn't allow you to pick your own roommates in an effort to diversify the students. Fuck that, Shuuhei and Izuru were roommates even though they were from the same fucking country.

The door suddenly opened. Ichigo tensed up a bit before hardening his glare before looking at the person he assumed was going to be Grimmjow. He was wrong, it was Renji.

"Answer your damn phone." He said as he walked in before he examined what his best friend was doing. "Where are you going?"

"Learn how to knock asshole." Ichigo grumbled.

"Sure, you can give me lessons after you answer my question." Renji said.

"There is a flight to Japan tomorrow and I'm going to buy a ticket. I need to call my dad to tell him I'm coming home early. I can't stay here any longer. This school is crazy."

Renji sat down next to where Ichigo on the floor and started to unpack his stuff.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ichigo said as he grabbed Renji's wrists to stop him.

"I'm not letting you leave. You paid for the program out of your own pockets just for me, you made friends, you took classes here and it would be a waste of money, time, and credits to not finish them." Renji said. "It was already uncool that you left us so early just because your roommate."

"This isn't about the credits, the money, or our friends anymore. I just can't stay in this school anymore. Everything is just falling apart." Ichigo said. He wished he could tell Renji everything about what happened, but he knew that if he did he would potentially be put in danger.

"I have a hard time believing you left us while we were hanging out to start packing because you are starting to break down. Whatever you are fighting against right now I'm sure you could take." Renji said. "I've known you since forever and I've never seen this side of you before."

Ichigo became silent after hearing Renji's words. It's true that he prefers to stand and fight then run. He even got into quite a few street fights because of that, but Ichigo logic doesn't stand here anymore. Part of him hated looking and feeling so weak and letting his stupid roommate see that side of him, it made him look like he needed to be protected. Part of him wanted to prove just how tough he was, but the more logical part of him knew he needed to ditch his pride and get out. The question is that if it really is the more logical side the smarter side.

Aizen will still be there when he gets back to Japan, maybe not immediately, but in a month he will be back there and back to his creepy ways without Grimmjow there to protect him. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't able to fight Aizen alone.

"Do whatever you want, but I'm sure I'll see you tonight for dinner and at dinner tomorrow too." Renji said before leaving Ichigo alone.

Ichigo sat there staring at his luggage not making a single move to pack or unpack. He just sat there lost in his thoughts not sure what to do. That was until the door opened again, he was expecting to see Renji again to say a few final words, Ichigo looked at the clock to see that an hour has passed since his talk with the redhead and it was already dark outside. The person at the door was not Renji, it was actually Grimmjow this time.

"What are you doing?" He asked pointing at the luggage on the floor with his foot. Ichigo looked away from him not meeting his arctic blue eyes. "You aren't running away." Grimmjow said sternly, as if he was ordering him not to move, but Ichigo was never really the one to follow orders so he got up and left leaving Grimmjow by himself again.

He didn't even glance at him as he left fearing that if he looked at him he would get angry all over again. It was Grimmjow's room too so he had no right to kick him out. If he wanted to be alone he would have to try somewhere else.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to try and keep an easier schedule then updating every five days. I kind of want to give myself more time to make new chapters so I have more traction so let's try updating every seven days and see how that works. So...new chapter every Sunday I guess if things work out okay. Remember to review and stuff since I like hearing from you guys.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, enjoy the chapter, okay?

* * *

Chapter 5

Ichigo woke up in the library to the sound of his phone ringing. He ignored the angry glances directed at him from other students who were using the space to study. He wasn't exactly in the quiet section of the library, so they should focus their glares on their books, not him. He checked the caller ID, Renji. The wall clock read 7:30, they usually grabbed dinner around this time, Renji was probably just wondering where Ichigo is right now because he certainly wasn't at the table with them.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way." He said into the phone after accepting the call before Renji could even ask where he was.

"Good, that's what I thought," was said from the other side before he heard the dial tone.

He looked at his phone to see that he has about nine unread messages; four were from his friends asking him to grab dinner and asking him where he was. Seriously guys, assign one person to message him if you are all together. There really was no need to spam him.

The other five were from Grimmjow asking him to come back to the room and apologies. The apologies were all full of shit though. None of them really stated that he was in the wrong and that he won't hide stuff anymore. That asshole was too prideful and Ichigo wanted nothing more than to knock him down a few pegs.

"Don't fall asleep in public places." A female voice said. He looked over to a table on the other side of the small area that was the nonquiet section of the library that was opposite the couch. It was meant for group projects and stuff, but instead it was occupied by a beautiful sea foam green-haired woman. She was leaning over the table lazily like she has been there for a while; her grey crop top was riding up threatening to move up too far. She was wearing a small and sweet smile that signed that she wasn't really upset.

"Nel, right?' Ichigo asked.

The girl nodded lightly keeping the soft smile on her face. She got up and plopping herself on the couch next to him. "Grimmjow asked me to look for you."

"Welp, you found me. So I'm guessing he's on his way over now." Ichigo said grouchily, getting up so that he can escape again.

Nel sighed regretting that she just got comfortable just to get up again.

"No, I didn't tell him where you were. I just told him I found you and that I'm keeping you safe. Seriously, don't fall asleep in public. It can be dangerous at this school."

Ichigo didn't say anything. He didn't even make eye contact with her as he exited the library, walking in a faster pace than he usually walks with her walking a little behind struggling to keep up with him without having to break into a jog.

"Hey." She called grasping his arm to slow him down so they could continue the conversation. She sympathized with Ichigo and knew that he was upset, but she knew that the only way to get through to him is to try and communicate with him.

"Why didn't Grimmjow come find me himself?" He asked trying to hide his face from her.

He didn't want to face the bubbly girl that knew too much about him. For someone who he only formally met that day she was too aware of how to see through his grouchy expression. If he were to put a label on how he was feeling by using the stages of grief he already went through denial, anger, and bargaining. Right now, he was full on depressed. He didn't need her to psychologically analyze every reason on why, it was too embarrassing.

"Would you have liked that? If I knew I would have told him where you were." She said still holding on to his arm.

She held on a lot lighter and gentler then her supposed brother and she showed a lot more emotions then he did. All Ichigo sees from Grimmjow is smugness and anger, but she had a look of concern and her voice when she questioned Ichigo expressed her curiosity as she continually tried to figure out what the orange-haired boy was thinking.

"Can't he sense where I am or something?" Ichigo asked gesturing to the hickey that was hidden by his shirt.

"Nah, only the general idea also he can't feel your emotions spike if you are asleep considering you are in your own state of mind." Ichigo got some angry glances by some guys passing by, probably cursing how a beautiful girl like Nel was clinging to him. He was calling way too much attention to himself. He wasn't the type to care what others thought of him though. If he did he would have dyed his hair black a long time ago. On the other hand he didn't like how all the things that called people's attention were things that can give others the wrong idea. He didn't want random rumors about him to float around.

"I also told him to give you some space to think." There was a moment of silence before she whispered. "But you don't want that do you?"

She pulled him into a hug with her head on his shoulder. Ichigo was taken aback, not prepared for the sudden intimate contact. He felt his shoulder become wet as tears poured out of Nel's big brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Ichigo." She cried. "You didn't choose this."

Ichigo didn't know what to say, he was completely astonished. Here was a girl he just met that day who was now crying in Ichigo's place because he was to prideful to do it himself. He ran away from his emotions for so long and he wasn't ready to start to listen to them now.

As she let out another sob, Ichigo's own breath hitched. He held it in though. He hasn't cried since the anniversary of his mother's death and that was years ago.

Even if he went to visit her grave every year he has never cried after that. Him crying that time was a total freak thing, it wasn't because that was the year Rukia went with him for moral support. He told her the story about how it was his fault that she was dead. Rukia hugged him just like Nel was now and cried for him too. Her crying was contagious and stirred his own emotions causing him to do so as well. Rukia was a great friend and he was glad she was there for him that day.

"I've heard stories like this before, people forced to be turned against their will, but I've never seen one first hand." She said clinging to his shirt desperately. "You are such a great guy and you have so much potential; you don't deserve to be put through this."

She sobbed a little longer, tightening her grip on the back of Ichigo's shirt, digging her fingers into it and closed her hands into fists. "I shouldn't even be the one comforting you. I'm not the one you want to see right now, right?"

She was able to read him so well, and it bothered him how right she was. The one he wanted to see was Grimmjow. Yeah, he was sick and tired of him always around, but he still wished that it was Grimmjow trying to comfort him.

He was grateful for Nel's efforts, but he never saw her as the bad guy. If her brother was in her place right now maybe his negative emotions wouldn't be whipping around so wildly. He knew that he made it a goal to protect him, but he still couldn't stops seeing him as the bad guy.

Tears were forming in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He can't let them fall, if they do then the world wins. Fuck that, he won't let them fall no matter that. Though relaxing into the girls soft touch wouldn't be too bad, right?

"Get off of him already." It was Grimmjow's voice. Ichigo wanted him there, but now that he actually was there he remembered Grimmjow's nature and immediately wished that he was gone again. He was now confusing himself.

Nel flinched a little at the unexpected voice, but she did what she was told, releasing her hands from Ichigo's shirt to bring them to her eyes. She wiped away the stray tears that fell down her cheeks and tried to regain the composure and playful attitude that seemed to be her default.

Ichigo looked away as soon as he saw who it was. There was no way he was going to let that guy see another side of him that he doesn't want to share. He was aware that his emotions were becoming inconsistent, but he decided to just let them do their own thing instead of trying to figure them out.

"I'm going to the dining hall. I'm meeting my friends there so there is no need for you." Ichigo said. "I'll see you later, Nel."

Ichigo took off not regarding Grimmjow who was calling his name after him.

Grimmjow turned to Nel. "What did you say to him? He looked awful."

Nel just shrugged. "I was just helping him release some pent up emotions."

Grimmjow sighed. "You're really making me look like the bad guy, you know?"

Nel looked at him angrily giving up on trying to go back to her playful side, her eyes still a little red from crying. She punched his arm, but not with her full strength as if her heart wasn't in it or she was to emotionally exhausted to deal with him.

"You are the bad guy, you dummy." She nearly cried out. "Ichigo is seriously hurt."

Grimmjow rubbed his arm where she hit him.

"I'm not the bad guy, Aizen is." He grumbled.

* * *

Ichigo sat in the spot that was reserved for him next to Renji. He was late, but no one really seemed to mind or wonder where he was. He ate dinner quietly like his mind was somewhere else. If he were to turn into a vampire would he even be allowed to eat normally? In every vampire story he knew about vampires didn't eat real food, a blood only diet. He didn't want his last meals to be shitty campus food.

Renji was holding the conversation about this girl leading him on while Orihime laughed on the other side of the table.

"No way, there is no one that looks like that at this school." Shuuhei said. "I would know, busty blonds are just my type."

"I don't remember her name, but do you know any busty blond girls at this school?" Renji asked.

"There was this girl Halibel who was in my class." Izuru shrugged.

"Nah, that wasn't it. Whatever her name is, I'm not interested." Renji said. "So she's up for grabs, Shuuhei"

Ichigo tuned out around the part where Shuuhei started to complain about not needing Renji's sympathy while Izuru just laughed at his flustered best friend. The conversation seemed like a pretty fun one if you asked Ichigo a couple of days ago, but now it just felt naïve. These guys have no idea what's going on in the world, they were only innocent, human, college students that had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.

Their biggest concerns were probably grades and girls while Ichigo had to fight to protect his humanity. So there Ichigo sat quietly and depressed, lost in his own thoughts before he felt an elbow in his side that belonged to Renji.

"Wake up, Ichigo." Renji whispered. "I didn't tell them about your little meltdown so there is no need to be depressed. Whatever it is, you'll be fine." He gave him a reassuring smile ignoring the other's puzzled looks as they wondered what the other two were talking about.

Ichigo smiled at his friend weakly. Guys were never really the type to tell their friends about their problems, but Renji has always been the exception to that rule. He would tell Ichigo about anything that was bothering him and in return Ichigo would do the same, though Renji would usually have to talk him into unloading on him. Renji always knew the right words, what to do to make him feel better, and whether to make him talk about his problems or just distract him from them. Rukia joked around and called them her 'BroTP.'

Orihime looked at Ichigo curiously. "Is something wrong, Kurosaki-kun?" She asked with a soft look on her face, cocking her head cutely.

"No, everything is fine." Ichigo said. "Thanks for the concern, Inoue." He said with a light smile.

Orihime blushed in response. He wondered why Orihime called him Kurosaki-kun. It made sense that she called Uryu by his first name, but she called Renji, Izuru, and Shuuhei by their first names too. Not only did she call him by his last name, but she used honorifics too, which probably confused a lot of people who didn't come from Japan.

Ichigo made it a point to call everyone by their first name in America and that was kind of the unspoken rule of the abroad program. Use first names, and speak in English. Unless you are in a private place with someone else who spoke the same language, you speak in the language of the country. For the most part everyone followed these rules, but it seemed Inoue calling him 'Kurosaki-kun' was the only exception for her. It made Ichigo curious why she insisted on doing this. He didn't know why she had a special rule for him, but in response he called her Inoue out of habit.

For the rest of dinner Uryu kept an eye on Ichigo. It was a weird sensation; he was always the type to keep to himself or at least keep to himself and Orihime. This was the second time Ichigo saw him break character today, the first time was of him glaring at Grimmjow. Could it be possible that he's got the wrong idea? Or was it…shit, does Orihime have a crush on him? That may explain why she blushed and acted so awkwardly around him.

He just thought that was part of her ditzy personality. Renji has always joked that Ichigo was oblivious when a girl likes him. He only got the idea when girls giggled in their little circles or when they left letters in his shoe locker, but he was never good at telling if a friend liked him.

He wasn't great at reading Uryu since he didn't really talk. He knew he liked Orihime, he was also trying to become a doctor, and that he was good at making handicrafts that was basically it. He seemed to always have a cold persona so he never bothered to try to chip away at his icy shell. If he wanted to stay in there then Ichigo wasn't planning to break him out.

They were kicked out of the dining hall at closing time. The workers wanted to clean up and go home, it wasn't the first time they were being kicked out. As they walked out, Uryu turned to Orihime and said "I need to talk to Ichigo for a second, I'll catch up with you later." Orihime gave him a curious look, but nodded in understanding.

Ichigo was ready to run away. He wasn't prepared to have that awkward conversation with Uryu. He didn't know how to talk to him nor was he aware about how to approach him if the conversation was truly about Orihime liking him.

"Ichigo isn't interested, so if you are planning to confess this is the time to back down." Renji called out loudly with the purpose to embarrass the hell out of Uryu and Ichigo alike. Leave it to Renji to pick a weird time to tell a joke.

Orihime giggled as she waved a quick farewell to Uryu and Ichigo, running ahead to catch up to Izuru and Shuuhei not noticing the blush on Uryu's face that he was making the best efforts to hide. Ichigo just held onto his forehead and shook his head in annoyance; he was used to his best friend's methods of trying to embarrass him. It hasn't happened in a while, but it isn't completely uncommon for his friend to try and rile him up.

"Listen, if this is about Inoue then I'm sorry." Ichigo said defensively. "I'm not interested in her. I see her as just a friend and I'm not looking for a relationship with her."

Uryu kept his eyes closed and took a deep breath waiting for Ichigo to finish.

That was then Ichigo showed it to him, the purple mark that was on his neck.

"See, I'm, um, following Renji's example right now." Ichigo lied with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. He wasn't a fan of lying nor was he a fan of hooking up with girls randomly just for the sake of hormones, but he will use what resources he has on hand to get out of awkward situations.

Uryu studied his hickey for a second as Ichigo continued stuttering about how he wasn't interested in Orihime before Uryu cut him off.

"Oh, so that's your relationship with your roommate." Uryu said without any doubt in his voice.

Ichigo turned bright red. "Tha-that's not from... I uh, I got it from a girl, that I hooked up with last night."

Uryu cut him off before Ichigo can continue making a fool out of himself. The act was over.

"You're a terrible liar, and I didn't pull you aside because of Orihime's crush on you." He said with a hint of depression as well as impatience in his voice. "I wanted to talk to you about what's going on around you. Now I need to talk to you about your roommate too."

Ichigo kept his mouth shut half expecting what will come next.

"At this point I am 80% sure that you know about him recruiting you, but there is about a 20% chance that you two are hooking up and you have no idea what I'm saying."

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I know what you are talking about. Yes, I'm being recruited." He looked at the guy in front of him with a stern look, trying to figure out what he knew and what role he played in all of this. He didn't expect the first person to approach him would be Uryu. He wanted to play it cool, but he could already feel a butterfly in his stomach from not knowing what to expect.

He was amazed that someone that he considered a friend actually knew what was going on and part of him was relieved that he wasn't the only one in on the secret. Though instead of a friendly heart to heart that he was hoping for he felt as if he was being investigated. For the first time in Ichigo's life he was on edge, but he felt relieved.

"It's not like I was really given a choice though. This is all against my will." Ichigo said trying to contain himself from ranting about everything to the guy that stood in front of him.

Uryu sighed. "Ichigo, I'm sorry, but I'm not here as a friend. I'm here as an advisor for the program. I'm meant to keep an eye on you as well as others in the same situation to make sure they don't get in any trouble."

Everything Ichigo wanted to say recoiled down his throat as he swallowed all of his words.

"It was my job to give you tips on how to stay out of trouble since you may be recruited by someone on the watch list." Uryu said as he started to shuffle through his bag for a folder that held a bunch of flyers.

"He doesn't need those little survival tips since he has me already." A voice said as the owner of that said voice dropped out of the tree they were standing by.

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo questioned. How long was he there?

"I understand, but its protocol." Uryu said handing Ichigo one of the pieces of paper.

Grimmjow immediately took it from him and crumpled it up. "He knows what's going on. He's being recruited by me, not Aizen. So there isn't a need to worry, hunter."

Ichigo looked at the stern expression on Grimmjow's face as he stared at Uryu. Then he looked back at Uryu curious to figure out what their relationship was. He just called him 'hunter' and Ichigo wasn't an idiot so he could guess what that mean, but now he was confused about what the hell was going on.

"Just doing my job." Uryu said calmly handing Ichigo a second flyer as if he wasn't fazed by the way the arrogant man acted. "Believe me when I say I don't want Ichigo falling into his hands. He is friends with Orihime so I would hate to see anything happen to him. I don't want her to be sad."

He turned away from the intrusive vampire directing his attention back on Ichigo so he could finish doing his job. "My phone number is on there. If you have any questions be sure to call. If your 'boyfriend' takes that one from you too ask Orihime for my number." He said turning away from the both of them, walking back to his dorm without even muttering a goodbye.

As he walked away a silver cross became visible hanging out of his sleeve, attached to a bracelet of some kind that Ichigo never noticed before. Christianity wasn't as common as Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, but it wasn't unheard of. It was a silly observation, but Ichigo was so focused on the symbol for no known reason. It seemed to pull his eyes towards it. He wondered where he was getting that feeling of reassurance and nostalgia from. Grimmjow had to nudge Ichigo to wake him up from his trance and get his attention back on him.

"You don't need to worry about Aizen. I'll keep him away from you." Grimmjow said when he finally got his attention back. "There is no need for you to talk to those damn hunters either."

Ichigo sighed. "Yeah, but who is going to keep you away from me?"

Grimmjow reached for the lone piece of paper in Ichigo's hands before Ichigo pulled it out of his reach. Grimmjow reached again this time leaning over him. He wasn't much taller than Ichigo, but it seemed as if his body towered over him. He laughed trying to get the paper out of Ichigo's hands. Ichigo made a barrier out of his forearm to make up for the height advantage that Grimmjow had over him. Grimmjow swayed forward and back reaching for the piece of paper that the orange haired boy protected, Ichigo responded accordingly pulling his hand back whenever Grimmjow reached forward and vice versa.

Grimmjow stepped back and took a deep breath, finding his center or something before focusing again on Ichigo with a smirk and a glint of mischievousness in his clear blue eyes. He reached up with both hands making Ichigo pull his hands away effectively faking him out as Grimmjow instead grabbed at Ichigo's hips and started tickling him. Ichigo yipped in horror as he brought both his elbows down on instinct to knock the vampires hands away and to protect his exposed sides. Grimmjow took this opportunity to grab the paper from Ichigo.

"That was so not fair." Ichigo laughed.

Grimmjow laughed too. "I'm amazed that that's the sound you make when you're being tickled. I'll keep that in mind." He waved the sheet in front of him as if taunting his roommate to try and take it back.

"Shut up." Ichigo said as he tried to reach for the flyer in Grimmjow's hand. As expected he pulled it away.

"I've seen this survival guide before I even attended this program. Let me tell ya, it's not helpful. It's made up of really vague tips. Like don't invite anyone you don't know in your room."

Ichigo looked at him puzzled. "There is no way it says that. It's common sense that could relate to anything."

Grimmjow said nothing, he just pointed at the paper where it was labeled with a '1.' Ichigo sighed.

"Yeah, it's basically a guide they teach you in health class about how to avoid being raped. They don't include vampires anywhere." Grimmjow said slapping the paper as if he were Phoenix Wright. "It's because they care more about keeping the secret then humans safe."

Ichigo tried to grab the paper from him again just for him to pull it away again.

"These guys can bury a scandal that involved a student or faculty's death easier than they could handle the rumors about the existence of the supernatural. It's best not to get involved with them." Grimmjow said. "That includes that guy that you consider a friend. Seriously, notice how that guy never outright said 'vampire." He just said stuff that can mean anything like 'recruited.'"

"If he can help me get away from you then I would take all the help I could get." Ichigo said as he tried making a move around Grimmjow so he could head towards their dorm. He gave up on getting the paper, he'll ask Orihime for his number later. It's not like Grimmjow could take his phone away too. Grimmjow let him go passed him much to Ichigo's surprise, and disappointment. He didn't know where that emotion came from and he was done trying to figure it out. He turned around in curiosity to see that Grimmjow hasn't moved. Ichigo looked back towards their dorm and started walking again.

"There is no rule against turning people against their wills. I could drag you with me kicking and screaming and those damn hunters won't lift a finger to help you." Grimmjow called after him. That statement made Ichigo turn his head over his shoulders so he can look back at the man he just abandoned. He didn't move from his spot, not wanting to get closer to him. He expected as much about the possibility of him being turned against his will, but if they won't help, then what was the point of them? It couldn't be just to hide the bodies and burn the evidence.

"Are you curious now?" Grimmjow asked with a smirk and crossed his arms like he won, what of was beyond Ichigo though.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, what's the point of them?"

Grimmjow smiled walking towards Ichigo and leaned over the orange haired boy's other shoulder. Ichigo snapped his head back facing forward.

"He's here to make sure I don't cause trouble." He said licking his lips. "The vampires here aren't the only ones aware of how special you are. Word spread, it reached their ears."

Grimmjow's breath on Ichigo's neck sent shivers down his back, but he wasn't sure whether it was from the vampire's breath or the words that were coming out of the same place. "Others know about me?"

His roommate pulled away from Ichigo's ear so that he could laugh. "You dense? They can smell you just like me and Aizen. You're the biggest threat on this entire campus. You can make every vampire here get ready for battle just for the chance of getting your blood in their family."

Ichigo was stunned he didn't know whether he wanted to hide or beat up…something, most likely his roommate even though he knew that he would end up in worse shape than he would be.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ichigo asked trying to contain himself from yelling.

"When?" Grimmjow shrugged. "There isn't exactly a good way to work that into a conversation. Oh hey, every vampire here either wants to eat you, recruit you, or fuck you. Also I can't help but remember that you avoided me for a large portion of the day. I can't tell you if you don't stay near me!"

Ichigo's heart rate dropped as his usually tan skin tone visibly turned pale. "I'm sorry, but what did you just say?"

"Huh, which part? I was ranting for a while. Whoa, what's this déjà vu?"

"You listed some things that vampires wanted to do with me. What was that last one again?"

"Oh, fuck you? Yuuuup, why do you think you have so many people's eyes wandering to you today?" Grimmjow growled.

"I've always had that. I told you about that." Ichigo said in annoyance. It was nothing to be proud of; being catcalled was more of a burden then anything. He knew that fighting with Grimmjow wasn't going to get him any closer to an explanation, but he may as well fight for another hint of the truth.

He felt like his entire day was him trying to figure stuff out while Grimmjow tried to shroud it from him by drawing his attention back on him. Heck he was amazing at it, he could do it and Ichigo would notice, but he would still be unable to stop it. That question was totally just a way to distract Ichigo from getting the answer to his original question; either that or Grimmjow was just teasing him again.

"Well you do have a cute ass."

Ichigo gave him a stern look to tell Grimmjow to knock it off with the flirting and get to the point. He was so worn thin from his bullshit. He really wanted nothing more than to be alone.

"Yeah, yeah, it's self-explanatory. Your blood smells awesome and that makes you more attractive in turn." He said walking towards Ichigo taking a deep breath and taking his smell in. His eyes dilating for a second before his pupils went back to their normal size.

"Its okay, your cute ass is safe with me."

As much as Ichigo felt the urge to fight with Grimmjow he knew that it would only make him enjoy it more. Ichigo knew that most of what Grimmjow says is him trying to get under his skin, but it's been ever so evident today now that he won't leave Ichigo alone unless Ichigo runs off again. Now that he thought about it he really didn't hang around Grimmjow too much.

Grimmjow kept him at an arm's length, but because he didn't talk too much he didn't get that bothered by his teasing. The only reason he kept getting upset was because his entire reality was crushed in one day and Grimmjow wasn't really doing much to explain what was going on. He also constantly gets reminded that Grimmjow is still hiding stuff from him. In just one day he learned two different stories about how the freaking hickey worked and Grimmjow lied to him about what role he plays in all this. The only reason why he knew so much was because Nel forced it out of him. They wouldn't be where they are now if it wasn't for her.

"I'm heading back to our room." Ichigo sighed turning towards their dorm and started walking knowing full well that Grimmjow was going to follow him.

* * *

Grimmjow sat on his bed throwing a basketball in the air and catching it. Which made Ichigo question why he even has that? Does he even play? Whatever it was he kind of wished that he would accidentally drop the basketball on his face.

Yes he was leaving him alone, but it's been quiet for too long. Usually there is nothing wrong with that, in fact Ichigo usually enjoyed it. Today seemed different though. He hated the silence and he craved for Grimmjow to break the silence like he usually does. Seriously, neither of them was doing anything productive.

Ichigo looked at his game of Tetris on his computer, the exact picture of not wanting to do anything productive looked like, but at least it wasn't on the same level of not wanting to do anything as playing Bejeweled. He felt like he should say something that was on his chest for a while. Even though he wasn't really sure why, but he felt that he needed to say something to him.

"Grimmjow?" He called over not looking away from his computer screen.

His roommate on the bed opposite his caught the ball that was in the air and looked over without saying a word.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Grimmjow still didn't say anything. His eye lids closed half way looking at his roommate with slanted eyes. All the muscles in his body relaxed as he waited for his roommate to elaborate.

"It's my first day with all this, but it was kind of unfair how unreasonable I was after you told me the truth." Ichigo sighed. Yes, he was upset that Grimmjow kept things from him and straight up lied to him in the beginning, but he realized after talking to Nel that he was worried about Ichigo after he ran off, but decided to give him some distance so he could try and cope. As much as he didn't like to admit it, the space he received, though small, helped.

Grimmjow was just trying to protect him. It was like Grimmjow was steering a boat in a swamp with Ichigo the passenger. He didn't want to tell Ichigo that there were alligators because he didn't want Ichigo to be scared and he trusted his abilities in keeping him safe.

"You shouldn't be sorry." Grimmjow said with a small hint of anger. "I was the one that dragged you into all this shit."

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow at a loss for words…that doesn't sound right, it was more like he didn't know how to talk to him. He just apologized because he felt guilty without knowing why. Ichigo didn't know how to read his own emotions anymore so he decided to just apologize and figure the rest of it out later. Now, here was the receiver of the apology. Listening to it and throwing it back at him saying that he shouldn't be feeling that way. He didn't know why he was feeling that way either, dammit.

"Ummm, I just felt that I was a bit unaccepting. You recognized your mistake and you were sorry for it. I'm not sure we can reverse the damage done, but I hope we can both get along so we can get through this."

Grimmjow shook his head. "That's when you're wrong Ichigo. I'm not sorry for my mistake."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, review and stuff even if you are from the future. I want to learn how to be a better writer for you guys so I could really use the positive feedback and criticism. Prove to me that you guys are real by leaving a review**.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys. It's been a crazy week for me. Next week is also going to be crazy, but I'll still be able to put out updates. I hope you enjoy chapter 6 because I had a really good time writing it.

* * *

Chapter 6

Ichigo had to have heard him wrong, he had to. This entire time he thought Grimmjow and he were in the same boat, both doing this against their will, but now here they are and Grimmjow is saying that it wasn't true. Was he actually happy with this? There was no way anyone was that good at lying. He was able to see right through him that morning when he tried deceiving him so it made no sense for him to be lying about this.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked looking over to meet his roommate's eyes to see just how serious they were. Ichigo saw his cold eyes staring right through him. The cool blue eyes looked so cold and unmoving that he couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"What I did was a mistake, but whether I regret it or not is something else completely." Grimmjow said. "I'm sorry to say this, but I don't regret biting you."

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow and hardened his stare. "Are you trying to piss me off again? Because this isn't a good way to do it. It's not like I forgot about you trying to wipe my memory."

Grimmjow glowered at Ichigo. "I'm not playing this time Ichigo. Yeah, I made a mistake, I tried to fix it, that didn't work, but I'm glad where I ended up. I'm upset that I hurt you, but that is really as far as it goes."

Ichigo's expression hardened more and his eyebrows tightened together as he tried to contain his rage, knowing that it won't get him anywhere. Maybe he wasn't getting something. "What do you mean?"

Grimmjow got up and walked over to Ichigo's side of the room pulling the chair from his desk with him so he could sit closer to his roommate and still look at him directly, but all Ichigo could see was that he cutting off Ichigo's escape route. It was evident that he had a habit of trying to escape from his territorial roommate when he was upset with him so he felt uneasy with him that close by and he had no method of escape.

"Nel convinced me to tell you everything by threatening to tell you herself." Grimmjow said. "Remember that?"

Joy, he is only telling him because he was going to learn about everything one day or another. Great, it's one step up if you look at it though. At least they can move the hell on; seriously this has been the longest day ever.

"The truth is that I was planning to turn you from the first day I met you. I just didn't want to do it now."

Ichigo was furious, but he can push back the desire to yell at him for making decisions on his own. It seemed from the very beginning of this entire program people were making plans and choices for him without him knowing. Grimmjow especially gave him no wiggle room and it was starting to feel suffocating. Suffocating like he was being pulled underwater and he felt the pressure the deeper he was pulled down and he couldn't breathe.

He didn't need to ask stupid questions like 'why do you want to turn me?' He can answer that himself, the same reason why Aizen does and every other vampire at this damn school apparently.

"There is only one month in this program left. There wasn't really any time left to approach me with this vampire shit. So what was your plan? To turn me on the last day and to drag me to Germany?" Ichigo growled, trying to keep a lid on his rage that was threatening to boil over.

"Yeah, pretty much." Grimmjow said no remorse in his voice. "The reason why I tried wiping your memories was because that was the original plan whether you knew about vampires or not had no difference."

"That's abduction." Ichigo growled. "There is no way I would have been okay with it."

Ichigo was angry sure, but he couldn't help feeling a bit more disappointed though. Grimmjow was the only one to ever taste his blood, but Grimmjow immediately noticed that he fucked up and helped Ichigo get back to his original health when he realized that he took too much. He thought that Grimmjow was planning to wipe his memories for his own sanity and so that neither of them had to face the consequences of being in this guardian and guarded relationship. Grimmjow practically vowed to protect him and he proved that by warning him about the guy in the café, picking a fight with a different guy that grabbed him earlier that day, and he even threatened Aizen.

Maybe he was already experiencing some Stockholm syndrome, but he really wanted Grimmjow to be different. He was hoping that he wasn't like every other vampire on this campus that was only looking to recruit him for his blood. He even had hopes that they can somehow live with each other for the unforeseeable future. This new story that he was hearing though was proving otherwise.

Ichigo wanted for Grimmjow to not be the bad guy, but all Ichigo could see in him right now was how selfish an asshole he was. He could get rid of him easily. He could just go to Aizen and surrender to him. It seemed he would have to give up his humanity either way so what was stopping him?

Grimmjow continuing to keep Ichigo close only proved that he wanted Ichigo for himself and didn't care about his happiness in the first place and that he was trying too hard to justify the vampire's actions. He still rejected the idea of surrendering to Aizen though. From what he learned about him, he was not an option. He wasn't sure about Grimmjow, but he had to at least be better then he was.

It was for his on sanity that he adjusted to situations easily, but he wanted to believe that the guy he was going on this journey with had some good in him. He's been finding that more difficult the more time he spent with him. Maybe he just needed to escape, even if it was just for a while. He needed at least one day to figure some stuff out.

"I need to go." Ichigo said getting up in a sitting position before Grimmjow held his shoulder to keep him from getting up from his bed.

"No you don't. You're not running away again." Grimmjow said. "I'm so fucking tired of your little silent treatments and tantrums." He said pressing a finger harshly on the purple mark on Ichigo's neck reminding him that he could feel Ichigo's emotions.

"I don't have tantrums. I just need space." Ichigo growled trying to get up again. Grimmjow just pushed him down further so that he was lying down with Grimmjow's palm relaxed on his chest.

"Listen I get this is new to you, but you're going to have to get fucking used to it. I'm not patient enough to have to chase after you every time you decide to run off and hide." Grimmjow demanded.

Ichigo exhaled. "Give me one night. I can't convince you to leave me alone, but I can at least ask for one night. Please? For once let me have one last night without you before I get forced to do everything you say and stuff that I'm not okay with for the rest of my life."

Grimmjow took his hand off Ichigo's chest and took a deep breath himself his eyes dilating for a second again from Ichigo's strong scent. "What do you want to do?"

"Sleep over at my best friend's room." Ichigo stated.

"Ah yes, the red head that is totally gay for you." Grimmjow said rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "That's not going to happen."

Ichigo glowered at him, "why the hell not?"

"What if his roommate is a vampire? You were assigned to me randomly, but there are plenty of them here. You don't know about him."

He made a valid point, but at this point Ichigo didn't mind taking that risk, but there was no way that Grimmjow would let him make that decision himself. Grimmjow sighed noticing his roommate's depressed expression.

"What's his name?" Grimmjow asked. "I know every vampire here that isn't a small fry. A small fry wouldn't pick a fight with me."

"I think his name is Byakuya." Ichigo said. Not really sure of his answer, but he was determined to at least try. It sounded right, but it was a weird name and weird names are harder to remember. It didn't sound like it belonged to a specific language. Apparently he was Japanese, but he never heard of a name like that before. It was either a really old name or his parents were being creative.

"Fuck, that stuck up asshole?" Grimmjow groaned holding he head in his palms. "He isn't dangerous, but I still don't want to deal with him."

Ichigo immediately looked disappointed and turned over so that he was facing the wall and his back was facing towards Grimmjow. He didn't want him to see him look defeated and he didn't want to look at him. Grimmjow stared at the still back of his roommate for a few seconds before sighing, "Alright fine, but only because I don't see him as a threat to your safety, not because you're getting all pouty."

Ichigo turned around and looked at his roommate with a somewhat hopeful look, probably the best expression he had on all day. He gave Grimmjow a light smile in gratitude causing his counterpart to blush lightly and turn away, scratching the side of his cheek. "Just do what you have to before I change my mind."

* * *

"Thanks, Renji." Ichigo said as he plopped his backpack down on Renjis's crowded chair that was covered in jackets, sweaters, and sweatpants. It was basically the stereotypical chair that you would find in a college dorm. The chair that belonged to a messy person that didn't want to put away or hang up any of the stuff that they planned on wearing again.

"No problem, man." Renji said grabbing a can of soda from his fridge and throwing it towards Ichigo. He caught it and held it watching his best friend help himself to his own pulling back the tab releasing the air from the can and making a satisfying hiss sound. "So what's up?"

"Just a fight with my roommate." Ichigo said following the redhead's example opening his own can and drinking heavily from it.

"Wanna talk about it?" Renji asked sipping his own soda while he sat on his bed with his feet hanging off the side.

"Nope." Ichigo said finishing his soda in record speed before throwing it in Renji's overcrowded waste bin. The waste bin was too crowded so the soda can bounced out causing Ichigo frown and walk over so he could manage the space in the waste bin to make room for his empty can.

Renji didn't press him for details. He always encouraged Ichigo to tell him about how he was feeling even though that was quite uncommon for guys in this generation and even less common in Japan, but he didn't like to persist if Ichigo felt uncomfortable.

He and Ichigo didn't talk too much on the way over to his room. When Ichigo shot him that text it seemed random, but he went to pick him up at his dorm. He was courteous to ask whether his roommate was okay with him sleeping over. Ichigo never had the chance to meet him so it would have been awkward that him needing to sleep over would be his first meeting.

Ichigo pulled his shirt over his head so he can change into his clothes that he brought for sleeping. He didn't think much of it until Renji pointed something out that made him feel like an idiot for forgetting about.

"What's that?" Renji said gesturing to his own neck as a reference.

"It's nothing." Ichigo said turning bright red as he held his head in frustration and self-loathing.

"I will punch you in the face if you say something like you banged into something. I know what that is." Renji said. "Dude, why didn't you tell me?"

Ichigo sighed shifting his hand that was holding his forehead to cover his neck even though the shirt that he slipped on was covering the deformity.

"It's not what you think." Ichigo said, turning his head so that his red face was less visible.

"Oh really? Try me." Renji said. "If you are hooking up with someone you would have told me, right?"

Ichigo didn't know what to say. He was walking on dangerous territory. He couldn't just lie like he did to Uryu, Renji was his best friend so he didn't want to just say anything so that they could move on. If he says the wrong thing he would hurt Renji. If he said just anything he wouldn't be allowed to be vague, he needs to talk about dirty details, and Renji knew him forever so he could tell when he was lying. So he couldn't just make up a story and move on. So he just didn't say anything, which seemed to work out because Renji can talk forever without taking a breath.

"Let me take a shot in the dark." Renji said when he noticed that Ichigo didn't know what to say. "No consequences. If you don't know what I'm talking about you won't ask questions and we let this slide." He looked at Ichigo waiting for his approval.

This was kind of new to Ichigo. This didn't happen often but whenever they talked about something that they didn't know they were allowed to talk about they relied on each other to stop them mid-sentence when walking on thin ice. Ichigo was now on standby to have no idea what the hell Renji is talking about. He will probably go off and says some theory that is probably not true. Ichigo just nodded his head to tell Renji to continue.

"You know what's going on in this school right?" Renji asked. "Like this convention?"

"What are you- fuck Renji, you knew about all this?" Ichigo said holding his head as he started to pace the room. "What the fuck, man? For how long?"

Renji looked to the floor guiltily. "Well, I have mixed feelings about this…" He trailed off before snapping back to his usual self. "Wait, we are talking about the vampires right?" Renji said no longer patient enough to tiptoe around the subject, but more focused on knowing that they were on the same page and how deep Ichigo was into this.

"Yes!" Ichigo said in full on scolding mode. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out about all this?"

"Because you wouldn't have come with me if you knew." Renji said quietly looking at his feet like he was a little kid that was caught sneaking an extra cookie from the cookie jar.

Ichigo was silent for a second as he repeated the words in his head, trying to grasp the meaning of them. "Wait, let me get this straight, YOU KNEW THE WHOLE TIME!?" Ichigo yelled. "Are you an idiot? Why did you drag me here? Why did you even want to go?"

Renji brought his hands up ready to shield his face from any danger that came at it.

"I didn't want to go alone…" Renji said bringing his hands away from his face and brought them together in front of his chest. "You're my best friend. I didn't want to go on an experience that had the potential to change my entire life without you."

Ichigo sighed. He'll scold him later, he was a bit more focused on his friend that he just discovered had self-destructive tendencies then his own well-being. "Okay fine, but why did you want to go to this in the first place."

Renji looked at him seriously and then back at his feet. "I did it for Rukia."

Ichigo backtracked a bit finding his way back to the chair that he was sitting on before and crossing his legs as he slumped into it, ready to investigate everything that Renji was hiding from him.

"You know how she was adopted into a noble family?" Renji asked. "Well it turns out it is a family of vampires, and well she is one too now."

Ichigo was stunned. He got up and was about to walk towards the door so he could take a walk and reconstruct everything he ever knew in the world as he learned more and more that his life was built on a foundation of lies. Seriously, his best friends were keeping all of this from him?

"No, come back." Renji called. "Let me finish, I wanted to talk to you about this for like forever now. It sucks keeping secrets from you so let me gossip."

Ichigo sighed and sat back down keeping his eyes shut and arms crossed ready to listen to Renji rant.

"I didn't want to tell you like this, but I want to propose to Rukia." Renji admitted. This must have been the biggest secret that Renji has ever kept from Ichigo.

"Okay…Vampire thing aside…YOU'RE A COLLEGE STUDENT." Ichigo said. "Have you thought this through at all?"

Renji nodded. "I've wanted to do this for years; I've known for years that she was a vampire. I was the first person she told when she was turned. I didn't even believe her and didn't talk to her until you brought her back into my life. She proved to me that she was telling the truth and that I had to keep that from you." Renji said. He made eye contact with Ichigo. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you brought her back into my life, and you have no idea how sorry I am that you are getting pulled into another mess because of me."

Ichigo walked over to his best friend and gave him a hug. Guys don't hug as much as they should, but Renji definitely needed that hug. He couldn't bring himself to blame Renji for the situation he was in. There was no way that he could have known that Ichigo would have attracted so much attention and the program didn't really affect him too much until now. If things kept on working out provided Grimmjow didn't decide to kidnap him he would have made it home safe. He needed to show Renji that he didn't blame him.

"By the way," Renji said while he was still in a hug with Ichigo "my roommate is Rukia's adopted brother."

Ichigo pulled away, containing himself from throwing him backwards from the shock. "What!?"

"Yeah, Byakuya Kuchiki, I needed to get his approval so he decided to keep an eye on me… A very close eye on me…" Renji said trailing off.

Ichigo never met him, but he only heard about him in stories that he heard from Rukia. He was a brother that somewhat made her nervous, but she respected him. He was cool, stern, proud, and admittedly uptight. He never learned his name not feeling the need to nor really cared to ask. Rukia always referred to him as 'aniki' whenever they talked about him, it was out of respect. Now that Ichigo looked at the other side of the room it looked well-kept and neat. The bed was made and his desk was in order in complete contrast to what Renji's side looked like.

"You sure you're making a good impression?" Ichigo said referring to the neat side of the room.

Renji laughed lightly. "He doesn't really care too much about that. You should see Rukia's room before the maid comes in to clean it."

Ichigo laughed. He's never been to the Kuchiki estate, but he would believe it. Although Rukia looks like the type to keep everything clean considering she always dresses nicely and properly, but if you really knew her you'd know that wasn't the case. Her bag at school was always a mess and she would loss things all the time. The only thing that she was worse at then trying to keep her stuff in order was her drawings.

"Really? What about your amazing hook up stories?" Ichigo asked in less of a mocking way, but more concerned about Renji screwing up. He kind of wanted this to work out for both of their sakes.

"Those are all bullshit; it's a cover-up so I don't have to say that I got a hickey from my roommate."

He said looking over at Ichigo knowingly.

"What is that look supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked sternly.

"I'm saying we should talk about your roommate problems now."

* * *

Ichigo was a bit awkward at first, but in the end he was relieved that he was able to rant about Grimmjow. He felt like he was going insane, not being able to say any of this stuff out loud. So being able to pour his heart out about everything he's been through was a nice change of pace. Renji just sat quietly and listened, occasionally adding his own input was actually the best thing that happened to Ichigo that day.

After Ichigo finished talking Renji suggested that they call Rukia on Skype so they could get the opinion of a real vampire. They saw that Rukia was online and hit the call button, it was answered almost immediately.

"Hey guys.~" She said when she saw both of their faces crowded together so that they could both be seen by the camera connected to Renji's laptop.

"Hey Rukia, I told Ichigo everything. He found out about the program and he is being recruited himself. Sorry to blow the secret, but something tells me you wouldn't be mad." Renji said before Ichigo could say anything.

"I'm not mad. I'm actually glad that he knows now. Sorry for making you the only one not in on it, Ichigo." She said. "Wait Renji, did you tell him about the-"

"Yeah, I told him about the proposal." Renji said cutting off his supposed fiancé.

"I thought she wasn't allowed to know you were going to pop the question." Ichigo said.

"He needed to get my brother's blessing first, and wow you are taking things really nicely." Rukia joked, not surprised since she was used to Ichigo's nature.

"Enough about us though. Ichigo has his own problems and we need your opinion." Renji said.

Rukia listened to everything Ichigo just told Renji while he sat in the chair away from the camera spinning his drum sticks to keep himself occupied as he heard the same story that was just told to him in the background. Even though Ichigo knew that Rukia was a vampire he could tell nothing changed between them. Just because he knew this one thing about her that he didn't know before wasn't going to change his opinion of her. She was one of his best friends.

"Wait, you said your roommate's name was Grimmjow, right? Like Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, that's it. You know him?" Ichigo asked now intrigued and happy that they called her.

"Not a lot, but they are quite famous and I think you would be in good hands if you do get turned. You really shouldn't be too scared if you are on the same side as him." Rukia responded, ignoring Skype's constant connection interference, "though I am a bit disappointed that he is being a dick to you."

"I had no idea that his clan was well known." Ichigo said. Knowing this was yet another reminder that there was still so much that he doesn't know about. He should have realized when Grimmjow said that he 'knew every vampire that wasn't a small fry' as if he wasn't one of them and that they 'wouldn't pick a fight with him' as if he were calling himself strong.

"I'm honestly surprised that you are finding about all of this so late. After I heard that you were going on the 'abroad program' I thought you'd figure everything out on the first day. Seriously, I should know more than anyone the effect of your scent, I'm surprised no one tried to attack you. Things must be pretty serious over there." Rukia said.

Ichigo immediately had a realization. He and Rukia had been friends for years and she has been a vampire since before he first met her. If she was a vampire she was totally able to smell his blood, but she still remained his friend through it all. How was she able to get so close to him and hug him without even being tempted to bite down?

"Hey, maybe if you join the Jaegerjaquez clan you can bring them and the Kuchiki clan closer." Renji said, making himself known after staying silent for so long.

"He has a point. Since you are so close with us and we are part with the Kuchiki clan…well Renji might be if things work out…but if you are going to be part of the Jaegerjaquez clan then it may bring our two clans closer and make them friends." Rukia explained.

* * *

Renji's roommate didn't come back that night, which Ichigo couldn't help, but be grateful. He wouldn't know how to talk in front of him. He could only imagine awkwardly talking about Rukia and saying something stupid. He was a noble and was part of a well-known vampire clan. They would have nothing in common except for them both being close to Rukia. Heck her brother probably knew more about her then he did and they considered themselves best friends. He never met her brother, but he didn't really have any plans to. That was Renji's battle and he didn't want any part in it. If there was a possibility that he would screw something up then he didn't want any part of it.

Ichigo fell asleep at around 2 in the morning while Renji was still conversing with Rukia who was on the other side of the freaking world. Once Renji knew Ichigo was out he dropped the friend filter that he had on when talking to Rukia while around other people and they immediately reverted back to their flirtatious friendship that they've had. Renji hung up to fall asleep half an hour later. He had a hard time getting comfortable with Ichigo's body taking up half the bed. It was a twin sized extra-long bed; it wasn't exactly built for two people.

They practically had to spoon all night, which proves the theory that it isn't awkward unless you make it awkward. Every now and then they would shake the other awake, but neither one of them was really upset. Renji wanted to be there for Ichigo and Ichigo was just grateful for being allowed to sleep over. He realized it was a tall request since they both had class the next day, but he just needed a break.

The next morning Ichigo woke up understandably exhausted after waking up a million times the night before. It was a very drowsy morning; it was foggy outside which was uncommon for May and it was even a bit chilly.

The thing that woke him up was his cell phone ringing Grimmjow at the other end reminding Ichigo that he was still in his life and that his last night of freedom was now over. His phone read 8:00 am. Why the hell was Grimmjow up so early? Couldn't he cut him a little slack?

Ichigo groaned as he crawled out of the bed that he was sharing with Renji so he could grab his stuff to get ready. Renji immediately took over where Ichigo was sleeping, curling up in the now warm area that was made by his friend's body temperature. Ichigo rolled his eyes knowing that he wasn't going to be able to get a few more minutes of sleep. As he opened the door, changed in fresh clothes he looked back at his friend who must have heard the door open, he looked up if only a little and gave a light wave before he let his head fall back to his pillow. He probably wouldn't even remember Ichigo leaving later.

He didn't want to leave so early that morning since he didn't feel like he was ready to face Grimmjow again, but he didn't seem to have a choice.

He didn't know what he would be allowed to do if he did become a vampire and even though the idea of being closer to Renji and Rukia was appealing, he wasn't ready to give up his own humanity. He really wasn't sure if he was allowed to be free or not. Who knew what would happen if he went to Germany? He didn't want to go to Germany, he wanted to stay in Japan, preferably as a human.

He walked down two flights of stairs to get to the bottom floor before making eye contact with someone in the stairwell. He instantly felt dizzy and the baron stairwell turned into a blur as he collapsed and slid down the last three steps, knocking his head hard against the last step. He picked his upper body up to make eye contact with clear white eyes that had no pupils. They were as white as pearls and contrasted the person's skin tone that they belonged to and they drew his eyes towards them and he wasn't able to look away. It took him a while to realize who he was looking at.

"You're that guy from the coffee shop." Ichigo said drowsily still unsure as his vision swam and black dots danced in front of his eyes. It had to be him though; he didn't really see that many black guys on campus which is admittedly weird for an abroad program that brought in vampires and humans from around the world. Wait, was he black? It was really hard to tell what his race was and now wasn't the time to try and figure it out.

"How peculiar, you're still awake." The mysterious man from yesterday said. "It'll be a lot easier for the both of us if you fall asleep now."

Ichigo felt his energy being drained from him. He just woke up, but the desire to sleep crashed over him like a tidal wave that begged him to just let it sweep him away. He should feel more stressed out then he was too, his muscles were relaxed and he felt pretty nonchalant for someone who had no control of what was going on around him. The guy standing over him had a voice that encouraged him to relax and reassured him that everything was okay. There was no way he was going to let himself fall victim to it though.

"What did you do to me?" Ichigo asked sluggishly as if he just smoked a blunt. His words even sounded like they were slurring in his head. He hoped that he actually didn't sound like that though.

"Don't struggle." The man, Kaname said as he lifted Ichigo over his shoulder and started to walk upstairs slowly and cautiously. Of course Ichigo refused his request even in his tired state as he wiggled around punched his back while fighting the desire to slump over his shoulder and let sleep consume him. It had to be some kind of vampire spell like the one Grimmjow tried to use on him the other day. When Grimmjow first used that spell it made him fall asleep, the fact that he was on the verge of passing out probably helped, but it failed to erase his memories. When he tried again the next day, it straight up didn't work and made Grimmjow look like an idiot. This one must not be working the way he wanted either, but this one was putting up more of a fight. Ichigo wasn't planning to let it win, but the results remained to be determined.

Ichigo tried to yell out for help, but all that came out was muffled sound as if his voice decided to give into the spell too. Kaname pushed open the door to the second floor and opened another door that was close by, a dorm room close to the stairwell. He walked in before dropping Ichigo on a bed. The soft bed that he was placed on almost made him lose the battle against sleep.

Ichigo attempted to escape, scrambling to get off the bed, but as soon as he sat up Kaname held him down. He tried to wrestle his way out of his hold to try and escape, but his captor kept a tight grasp on his wrists. He swung a kick towards the side of his head, but the futile attempt was caught in the clutch of the opposing vampire's hand, releasing one of his wrists to do so. He squeezed his ankle hard, leaving a red mark that wrapped around the area he was holding, causing Ichigo to hiss at the pain.

He knew he was a vampire so he was incredibly strong, but he wasn't expecting him to actually hurt him. If he learned anything from the day before it was that he was considered to be valuable goods, so the fact that the other was responding to his retaliation wasn't exactly a good sign. It was a sign that he was getting impatient with his struggles or he was getting serious. He wasn't going to let that intimidate him though so he continued to thrash. In the midst of Ichigo's continued attempts at breaking free from the others hold he heard a clicking sound that definitely belonged to the sound of a locking door. He stopped his struggle to look up and see a different person standing by the door. It was Aizen.

* * *

 **A/N: Review and stuff. I decided to start responding to your reviews since I want to hear from everyone of you. You're all awesome and I would love to hear from you guys. If you're too shy to say anything you can follow or favorite too. I get it and it's still a huge confidence booster. Or you can not do those things I can't control your actions.**


	7. Chapter 7

Aye guys. This chapter was little harder to finish since I had to manage working on this, a group project where some of the group members didn't even bother to show up to the meeting, and studying for my philosophy midterm (I think I did okay on it.) Not only that, but it was my birthday this week and I got a lot more attention from my friends and family sooo... I don't know, rant over, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7

Grimmjow was on his way over to Renji's dorm. He could have waited for Ichigo to come back by himself, but he was too impatient. He didn't trust Ichigo to be alone especially now that he knew that Aizen sent spies too look after him.

He also needed to calculate the affect that he had on other vampires and other people. He seriously didn't want any more people grabbing at him.

No, there were more reasons than that. He couldn't explain why, but he felt uneasy when he wasn't next to him. He couldn't explain why, but he felt the overwhelming need to protect Ichigo after the night that he drank from his blood directly. It was a new feeling that he never had before. Even though he drank from countless others he only felt that bond with him and he felt genuinely nervous when he took too much from him.

Was it because of the bond that he placed on him? No, it was before that. Right after he drank from Ichigo he immediately knew that he was making a huge mistake. At the moment he wasn't really able to tell because Ichigo's smell and taste was as intoxicating as really nice liquor. He was a vampire; his first instinct was always in the interest of not going hungry. It was a vampire's worst form of torture. Vampires can't die from going hungry, but hunger was unbearable. So much so that a common form of punishment hundreds of years ago within noble clans was to bury their vampires alive to starve and then dig them up years later. The first thing they tend to do was go into a frenzy, so they end up getting killed.

After drinking Ichigo's sweet elixir, he immediately realized his mistake and freaked the fuck out and worked on keeping him alive and conscious. He never treated anyone like that before. It was a common mistake to take too much blood from a living human. It didn't happen as often as a vampire grows older, but when it did occur all he could really react with was 'oh well.'

Ichigo was different though he genuinely cared and he couldn't stand to be too far away from him and that bugged him. He never felt like that towards anyone. He thought maybe it was his instincts viewing Ichigo as a source of damn good blood, his prey. That wasn't right though, and he knew that. His instincts made him feel protective of the orangette, but it wasn't because he wanted to drink from him. He just genuinely wanted him to be safe.

He gave in to him running away, but only when he was sure that he was going to be safe like when Nel watched over him or when he was staying in the room that was practically a safe spot just for the fact that it belonged to the famous Byakuya Kuchiki. He told himself that it was fine and that there was nothing to worry about. He felt better when he was being guarded by him personally though.

It was getting to a point where he actually missed his presence. He started to miss the feel of his skin, the sound of his voice, the smell of his blood and shampoo. He even missed Ichigo's fiery temper. He had a hard time falling asleep the night before just because he couldn't get him out of his freaking head.

He told himself that he was just having cravings for Ichigo's blood or something even though he knew that that couldn't be true since he just drank from him a couple of days ago.

He left the dorm building, fog hung low to the ground. It rained early in the morning, but it was weird seeing fog hang so low to the ground like that. It made the air feel chilly.

As he turned the corner out of the entrance of the dorm he saw a guy standing outside leaning against the wall of the brick building that he recognized. He recognized him, but he hasn't been seen in a long time and Grimmjow did not expect to see him today.

"Gin?" He asked.

A fox like man dressed up in a simple oversized sweater and sweatpants looked up at him with a grin plastered on his face that only grew wider when he saw him.

"Grimmjow, it's been ages." He said lifting himself off the wall to go towards him.

"You're okay? I heard what happened with your clan and I didn't hear anything about you since" Grimmjow said. "I thought you disappeared off the face of the Earth. When did you get here?"

"Just yesterday, I was called in as backup." He said before kicking Grimmjow in the stomach making a cold sweat appear on his forehead and the back of his neck and sending him flying in the other direction.

He flipped in the air landing on his right knee and left hand before he kicked off the ground looking up to see the vampire that attacked him charging over to where he landed. He launched himself towards him, matching his speed readying a punch as payment for the blow that was just dealt to him.

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow shouted as he threw the punch that Gin expected when he saw Grimmjow coming for him. Gin evaded him effortlessly, watching Grimmjow's fist fly past the side of his face. He was always great at fighting. He was quick and flexible like a fox, an animal that resembled him both in appearance and fighting style. He caught one of Grimmjow's arms and twisted it behind him turning Grimmjow's back towards him.

"I forgot to tell you that I was recruited into Aizen's clan." He whispered into Grimmjow's ear. "Don't resent me too much for this."

Grimmjow's eyes grew but quickly turned wild with a vicious scowl on his face, resolve hardened as he threw his head forward before thrusting it backwards at full speed smashing it into the opposing vampire's nose, you know, the proper place to aim when doing a headbutt, backwards or forwards. (Seriously every anime character ever, if you were going to use the hardest part of your head as a weapon why would you aim your attack at your opponent's forehead the hardest part of their head?)

He ripped his arm out of Gin's loosened grip before doing a round house kick on his staggered opponent. Gin may be quick and flexible like a fox, but Grimmjow was powerful and fast like a panther.

"You never seemed the type to give into him." Grimmjow shouted as he jumped away from his opponent who swiped at his feet to try to knock him off balance, He landed a few yards away to gain some distance from the vampire who was recovering faster than he expected.

"Welp, no one was ever very good at reading me." Gin said closing the distance between the two of them throwing a flurry of punches that was blocked before jumping back to where he was standing before. It seemed as if their actions were becoming more of a Dragon Ball Z style with quick punches and moving from place to place really quickly. Not that they were able to fly, form giant spirit balls, and blow up planets, but their speed would have been a good substitute for the usual beginning stages of the fight.

"Is Aizen really picking a fight with me just to scare me away from Ichigo?" Grimmjow asked panting getting ready to face another of Gin's attacks. "Sorry, but it isn't going to work."

"Oh, he isn't picking a fight yet." Gin taunted. "There is still time. You just need to make the right choice."

Grimmjow had no idea what the foxlike man was hinting at, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to find out. All he cared about was beating this asshole up. He wasn't forgiving enough to let someone kick him randomly without paying them back fully.

Grimmjow tackled Gin in the stomach falling for the taunt. His opponent grabbed a hold of Grimmjow's shirt as he fell making him fall on top of him as their battle turned from Dragon Ball to a school boy's fight that you would see at recess in an elementary school. Both of them rolled around trying to get the upper hand on the other, but the look of amusement never left Gin's face nor did the look of outrage on Grimmjow's.

"Also, I'm not here to fight you." Gin laughed when he was finally on top of the crazed Grimmjow, pinning him down by his wrists has he straddled his waist. "I'm here to stall for time."

Grimmjow, now on the bottom, brought both of his knees to his chest and launched his legs upward into Gin's stomach, sending him upwards and buying himself enough time to get off the ground. Ground defense was hard since he didn't have fully flexibility and options on how he can move his body. He also didn't have a lot of experience with it since he wasn't usually the one on the ground.

Gin was on his feet again. "You don't fully know what's going on. Hopefully this will help you open your eyes. Welcome to the adult world, it's time for you to grow up."

Grimmjow clenched his teeth together as he braced himself for Gin's next attack. "I don't know what you are talking about, but you should be the last person to lecture me to open my eyes."

Grimmjow grabbed a hold of Gin's wrist that outstretched when he was threw his next punch. He was about ready to snap it in half when a glowing blue arrow whizzed past them making them break up their fight and address the new opponent that dared to disturb their fight.

"What the hell are you two doing?" A lean raven haired figure with square glasses said. He was holding a glowing blue bow that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. It was that hunter.

* * *

"What the fuck?" Ichigo asked pulling his legs into his body as he backed up as far as he possibly could, putting as much distance between the two of them that he was able. His back was in the corner between the wall and the window behind the bed. He was scrunched into in making himself as small as possible and his legs were pulled up in the fetal position.

The sudden feeling of danger which for some reason wasn't as present when he was clearly abducted by this guy's henchman was finally starting to resonate. His heart started to beat faster and his vision started to clear as the spells effect diminished till it was no longer there. Something was screaming in his head to not do anything stupid and to get ready to defend himself.

Off to the side the dark skinned henchman flinched as he realized that his spell lost all power over the one he was trying to put to sleep and put back on his sunglasses. Aizen walked over slowly and sat at the edge of the bed where Ichigo now lied boxing him in so that there was no way for him to escape without getting past him.

"Sorry Ichigo" He said smoothly trying not to stir him like he was some kind of frightened animal, though it wasn't working. "I only wanted to talk to you without your guard dog interfering."

Shit, was that the point of the spell? Grimmjow could only feel Ichigo's presence when his emotions spike. Nel mentioned that he wasn't really able to tell where he was or how he was feeling when he was asleep. The spell that Kaname Tosen tried to use on him didn't work, but it did make him feel relaxed even when he was in danger.

If Grimmjow couldn't really tell where he was then, then he could certainly feel it now. Right now the spell that his roommate put on him should be functioning like a flare gun that shouted SOS and that he needed help. If that spell was meant to buy time then the timer started to tick as soon as Aizen stepped into the room. Grimmjow must have been on his way right now.

If Aizen was as smart as he was made out to be then he probably set up precautions to prevent him from getting to them though. If he gets there then it is game over. That means that he needed to find a way out that didn't necessarily revolve around Grimmjow saving him though he would admit begrudgingly that it would be really nice if Grimmjow just barged through that door at that very moment.

"Now Ichigo, I'm sure the existence of vampires is a very new concept to you, but I can promise you a lot more than your roommate, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." Aizen said slowly leaning towards him placing a hand on Ichigo's knee.

Ichigo flinched when he felt Aizen's cold flesh against his own, unhappy with the contact that was given to him by someone that he didn't want to be involved with. He willed himself to curl up even more, but it was impossible to make himself any smaller then he already was.

"I must insist that you put your immediate feelings aside and consider the long game though. I can promise you an eternity of comfort and happiness which he can't promise you alone."

Ichigo looked over to the door that was being guarded by Aizen's henchman trying to calculate what his chances were if he were to just sprint towards the door, zero. His chances were zero. No matter how he looked at it, there was a guy standing in front of the only exit and another guy who literally had his hands on him and blocked him from even getting up off the bed, that's not even calculating the fact that both of them were vampires.

If a UFO were to land outside the dorm that was flown by aliens that declared that they were going to take over the world as a distraction he would still have a zero percent chance of getting out of there. Even if he got out of the room there was no way he was going to be able to outrun them. He knew the speed of a vampire was also supernatural and he even experienced it firsthand before when Grimmjow attacked him and when he threatened him the next day.

He needed to get outside or get back to Renji's room. If he made it outside then he would be in plain sight so the chances of them actually attacking him were slim since it risked them being exposed. It would be a lot harder to make it out there though.

Renji's room was more probable since it was only upstairs. Renji shared a room with a vampire that Grimmjow knew about so that must mean that he found him worthy. Maybe Aizen would be more threatened to chase after him if he hid behind Rukia's brother. It would be a weird way to introduce himself though. 'Hi, I'm Rukia's best friend. Help me; I'm being attacked by vampires.'

He didn't have time to think about meeting Rukia's brother though since the probability of him actually escaping was improbable in the first place. Heck a UFO landing was more probable then Ichigo getting out of here by making a break for it.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to join you." Ichigo said lightly. "I don't want to become a vampire at all. I want to live my life as a human."

Aizen smiled sympathetically. "I see, but I can't promise that you'll live a normal human life. The probability of you being turned into a vampire is very high. You see, you seem to have a very special condition and your blood is very sought after. It's amazing that you came this far without being turned or even being devoured. It's amazing how you didn't even know about the existence of vampires until now."

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "So I've heard. Listen, me being allowed to pick my own clan isn't going to change anything. I want to stay a human as long as possible and I've only been bothered by this vampire stuff now. If things work out I can go back home and leave all this stuff behind and go to med school so I can become a doctor."

Aizen stayed quiet his face not moving as if everything Ichigo just said flew right over his head. Which pissed Ichigo off to no end, but he wasn't planning to get into a fist fight with someone that can kill him with just his teeth. He wouldn't stand a chance since his punches would hurt him more than his target. Not to mention he had a henchman that was waiting for him patiently who can also kill him in less than a second.

He knew how to pick his battles and there was no way he could win this one. Though he knew that fighting wasn't the best option he was never really that good at controlling his anger.

"Also don't take this the wrong way, but you are probably my last option even if I were to get turned. " Ichigo said. "Actually, take it any way you want as long as you know that my answer is no."

Aizen held him by the shoulder lightly pulling Ichigo out of the corner and pushing Ichigo down onto the bed, his smile now looking a little more forced and his position was a lot more intimidating as he towered over Ichigo who was forced to look up at him.

"Please Ichigo, let me make you an offer." He said, his hand now shifting to rest on Ichigo's chest to prevent him from getting up.

Welp, this was what he got for letting his anger get the better of him. A voice in his mind yelled at him for actually doing something stupid despite his better judgment.

Ichigo cursed in his mind as he had to re-examine the situation he was in. The brunet vampire was practically on top of him. The dark skinned vampire was still there on standby. With the change of positions he can see that he was in a worse place then he was before.

"I can find something more in your interest." Aizen said. "Money, power" he listed, but Ichigo gave no interest in what he was saying, "or how about making Jaegerjaquez disappear."

Ichigo's eyes enlarged. He quickly thought of Grimmjow having to fight an entire army of vampires. He felt sick to his stomach, if what he heard about Aizen's clan was true then that can very well happen. He was angry at Grimmjow, but he didn't want him to disappear. Heck, if he were here right now that would be great.

"I'm not interested." Ichigo said trying to lift Aizen's hand off of him, but that only made Aizen push down harder, practically pushing against his rib cage.

Ichigo tried to pull himself back towards the window, bringing his head back against the thick glass. He lifted his legs back up so he could re-enter the fetal position to create a barrier between him and the vampire that was becoming more and more threatening.

His head smashed against the thick glass of the window making him see stars as Aizen's other hand gripped his shoulder again, throwing him back. His fingers cut into his skin making more red marks that looked similar to the ones that Tosen left on his ankle.

The smile on Aizen's face was gone taking its place was a very stern and now impatient expression. His eyes were cold and it looked like he was done trying to be reasonable and sympathetic. He was bored and he just wanted what he came for already.

"Ichigo, don't be unreasonable." Aizen said with no humor in his voice. "If you play hard to get I'm not going to indulge you. I'll just turn you by force."

Ichigo re-examined Aizen's face to see that the stern expression held a hint hunger in his eyes and he could tell what was going to happen next and he was not exactly a fan of what was to come.

Ichigo pressed himself in the corner between the wall and the window and curled himself into a ball, hugging his legs tighter and hiding his hands in the sleeves of his sweatshirt so he can hide all visible flesh.

Aizen didn't take any bullshit though. He ripped through Ichigo's tight embrace on his legs, holding his left arm in one hand above his head the other grabbing one of his legs pulling him closer and giving himself some room to enter Ichigo's personal space.

Ichigo, now lying down with his head against the mattress, swung his right fist at him at the heat of the moment and recoiled in pain as the feeling of punching a metal poll shook through his hand as punishment. He ignored it just so he could focus on getting his left arm free. He swung again at Aizen's nose. This time his hand didn't hurt as much, probably because it was already in pain. Though this time Aizen reacted to his punch, if only a little and he looked a little surprised from Ichigo's determination.

Aizen's hand loosened his grip on Ichigo's arm and he was able to yank it out of his grasp in a sudden burst of strength from desperation and held his left arm in a winged shape to create a barrier between him and Aizen.

The predator pulled up the winged arm and threw it to the side and straddled Ichigo's waist. Ichigo reacted by lifting his waist up to try and shake him off while pushing him back with his right hand which was still in pain and giving him more traction and leverage on the bed with his left arm that went from being thrown to planting itself on the bed so that he could gain more ground.

Aizen was tired of fighting against the human that was doing a surprisingly good job of trying to shake him off and defending himself. He was eager to move on so he leaned down over Ichigo and sunk his teeth into his neck causing Ichigo to become very still.

The instant Aizen sunk his teeth into his neck it felt like he was being branded by a hot iron at the point where the fangs pierced through his skin, then he felt like his entire body was about to erupt in flames. The blood that coursed through his veins felt like molten lava that was able to melt earth and burn through his flesh as his temperature skyrocketed.

His vision went fuzzy as the room started to spin. His stomach turned sour, and his entire body ached and sweated as his body temperature rose to new heights. His body couldn't move and his body felt heavy like he has been turned to stone.

His ears felt like they were about to pop like he was on an airplane or a high enough altitude and he couldn't breathe properly. Ichigo fought against the pain as his vision threatened to fade to black, but something inside of him. Somewhere deep in his core fought back against the darkness that was closing in, pushing the black walls back and kept trying to clear his vision.

He then heard the door to the room get thrown open with the loud crack sound that came from breaking wood and something that sounded like droplets of water on a frying pan. There was shouting and the weight that was on top of him was suddenly thrown off. Heck Ichigo could tell that it was thrown off even though he was in a state where he was unable to tell what was going on. Everything looked like a big blur.

The source of the sizzling sound was now right next to him. Then he felt teeth on his neck again where the burning was originating from, but this time it wasn't as hot or painful. It felt different then the bite that he just felt, but he could still feel his anxiety pounding inside his head.

He felt the familiar sensation of getting blood drawn out of him causing him to feel lightheaded, but the result started to show immediately. The burning feeling started to fade as well and some color came into his vision. There was blue and Ichigo blinked a few times to try and clear his vision so he could try and confirm the oddly placed color.

He heard something that sounded like spitting close to where he was lying or at least that's what it sounded like to him since he could barely make out anything. It suddenly got loud again as if a fight broke out in the small amount of space, more shouting, but his ears couldn't make out any words that were spoken though like he was listening to a muffled recording of the adults in the _Peanuts_.

The feeling of cold water splashed on his neck where the wholes that were left by fangs remained open. The burning sensation that was originating from the open wound was then replaced with stinging and the feeling of having a million splinters on the surface of his neck. It was a better sensation then he had before though as he felt his body temperature drop rapidly and he became less lightheaded.

He lost his grasp on time, but he eventually felt himself get lifted off the bed, there was that sizzling sound again and he could even feel a strange bubbly sensation on his skin as he was pressed up against a warm muscular body. He could hear the voice that was shouting before right next to him, but he was slowly able to recognize the syllables that where being said and put them together.

"Ichi, stay with me." The voice said desperately repositioning Ichigo so that he was being carried comfortably bridal style.

"Grimmjow?" He asked in a quiet voice through chapped lips before he felt a sudden lurch as he was slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings. The room around him looked like it was in utter chaos. The door was busted down, things were knocked over Tosen was against the wall and Aizen was right behind Grimmjow looking like he was ready to attack.

Instead of feeling an impact like he expected he felt a sudden lurch and the air around him felt different as if they teleported to a different place. The air whistled in his ears that were becoming clearer as he felt the sensation of falling. His head was thrown back and the air stopped spiraling around them. Did they just jump out of a fucking window? The sizzling sound stopped and Ichigo suddenly realized the smell of burning flesh.

"Yeah, you're safe." The voice said pulling Ichigo in even closer to his body if even possible. Ichigo nodded lightly before letting himself fall asleep in his arms.

* * *

 **A/N: Do your good deed for the day and leave a review. I want to talk to you guys since I like being reminded that you people exist. If you're too shy to say anything then favorite or follow...or you can not... I'll only cry a little.**


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, I understand it's been a long week. I won't keep you here for too long so enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8

Ichigo woke up shirtless, in sweat soaked sheets and the general feeling of grossness. He lifted his head to look around before placing it back down slowly feeling pain shoot through his entire body. He didn't know where he was or what was going on, but it seemed that moving was not an option.

He looked at what he could see around him with minimal movements, white sheets, white curtains, and from what he could tell he was laying on a soft full sized bed that he was able to recognize as not his own twin-extra-long bed that was lent to him by the school. He was definitely not in his room.

He took a deep breath and gathered the will to try moving again. His head throbbed in disagreement and he ignored it so he could focus on his goal. He tried to sit up, but he was suddenly pulled back down onto the mattress that he was trying to leave, his back hitting against something hard. He turned his stiff head to meet cobalt eyes and a Cheshire grin.

"Welcome back to Earth, Ichi," was whispered to him as if trying not to startle him. He was then pulled into his roommate's naked chest, Ichigo hissed in pain, but didn't say anything to deny his roommate any further from the sudden and uncharacteristic form of affection.

He's never been so happy to hear his roommate's voice before. Correction, he's never been so happy to hear anyone's voice before period. He thought he was a goner. The pain and the warmth he was feeling resonating from Grimmjow was enough proof that he was alive.

He smiled lightly before a realization hit Ichigo like a cold gust of wind and he quickly grabbed his neck. Memories started to flow back to him like the tide as he remembered the reason why he passed out.

There were bandages where he was bitten this time. Did they not heal instantaneously like when Grimmjow bit him? Was he-?

"I know what you are thinking, no you weren't turned. We were able to save you in time." Grimmjow said shifting his body so that he was more comfortable against his bedmate's back.

"Ho-how long have I been out?" Ichigo said, his voice cracking as he tried to speak for the first time since he woke up, it came out quietly and hoarse like the sound coming out of him wasn't his own.

"Three days." Grimmjow said burying his head into Ichigo's hair which was probably greasy and gross. Ichigo's eyes widened as reality crashed into him as he tried to pull himself up in vain as Grimmjow's inhumanly strong arm kept him pinned down with barely any effort.

"I knew you were going to freak out. Don't move too much." Grimmjow hissed as Ichigo tried to squirm his way out of Grimmjow's grip.

"I haven't gone to class in three days?" Ichigo said voice miraculously recovered as he shouted in response, Grimmjow tried to contain his laughter as he wrestled with the awoken and still very much injured boy.

"Where the hell is this energy coming from? You were barely able to move before." Grimmjow howled as he tried to pin down Ichigo without touching his bruised shoulder that he received from struggling with Aizen. A smile plastered across his face as he watched Ichigo try to get the upper hand on him despite his overwhelming disadvantage.

The curtains were thrown open putting Ichigo's and Grimmjow's grappling on hold. Ichigo was pinned in front of Grimmjow, but he was able to see the petite figure dressed fully in white that now stood in front of him.

"Uryu?" Ichigo asked. His mouth nearly hung open in shock. Uryu examined the position of his patient, being held by a vampire who had his legs wrapped around his waist and holding both of his wrists in his own hands. He sighed and put his hands on his waist. He looked sternly at the two who were just rough housing.

"Why am I not surprised?" Uryu asked no one in particular, probably himself. "You are way too rowdy for someone who just woke up."

Grimmjow laughed. "Sorry Ichigo, they didn't have any hotter nurses, but at least I'm here." Ichigo didn't need to turn around to know that Grimmjow had a stupid grin on his face.

"Shut up, I just came here to check to see if everything is okay. I'll come back with food." Uryu said. "Oh yeah, and try not to break my patient, vampire." Uryu disappeared behind the curtain again leaving the two of them alone again.

"You're recovery is miraculous." Grimmjow said approvingly. "You wake up earlier than predicted and now you are tussling with me because you want to get back into your everyday life."

Ichigo sighed letting his head fall back onto the pillow already exhausted from the few minutes he was awake, his chest rising and falling slowly. Grimmjow loosened his grip on him, but still kept an arm around him to keep him from trying to get up again, finding a more comfortable position against Ichigo's back.

"Can I ask where I am and more importantly why you are in bed with me?" Ichigo asked looking back at the now closed curtains, unable to turn around with his roommate's arm pinning him down.

"You're in the infirmary, the part that's hidden in the back which is focused on reviving victims attacked by vampires." Grimmjow said. "As for me lying with you, I needed to bring your body temperature up, so I stayed with you."

Ichigo sighed feeling his forehead to check to see if he still had a fever. He couldn't really tell which means that if he did have one, it was very slight. "I figured that we were in an infirmary, but why is the bed so big?" He said referring to the full sized bed that they were laying on which was bigger than the beds they provided in the dorms and much bigger than any bed that you'd find in a hospital.

Grimmjow shifted his arm so that it wrapped around Ichigo's head covering his mouth rather than his chest. "Shhhh, don't question the set up. We didn't have a lot of fan service so we are putting some in. Just don't ruin the magic." Grimmjow whispered in his ear.

Ichigo grabbed the arm that was wrapped around him so he can pry it off his face until he felt something on the other's arm that didn't feel right. Ichigo forced himself to turn around so he could finally look at his roommate properly.

There were burns all over his body, at least that's what they looked like. His skin was covered in bandages and angry red marks that was spotted all over his arms, chest, neck, and cheek. The appearance of all the marks immediately made Ichigo's face turn pale.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked holding the side of his roommate's face so he could frantically examine the burns that weren't covered up by bandages, specifically the one that was right under his left eye. The visible burns looked ugly so he was scared to know about the ones that were covered.

Grimmjow scratched his head and sighed. "That was from when I saved you. You see, when a vampire enters a place that he isn't invited inside he gets burned. That includes dorm rooms."

Ichigo let go of his cheek and looked away from Grimmjow, his face full of remorse. Grimmjow took Ichigo's own cheek in his own hand, directing his gaze back to his dangerously stern eyes.

"Hey, quit looking like that. I knew what I was up against when I claimed you." Ichigo looked away avoiding his eye contact again his face looking just as guilty as before. "I'm recovering fine; I was in way worse shape before." Ichigo still didn't look up.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and leaned in capturing Ichigo's lips with his own. Ichigo's eyes grew as he tried pulling away out of instinct, but Grimmjow was still holding his face.

When Grimmjow released Ichigo he looked at him incredibly smugly as the other looked at him in shock, trying to work out several different emotions, mostly confusion and the more visible, anger.

"What the fuck, Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked in astonishment, deciding to go with that emotion, his originally pale skin quickly took on a red color broadcasting his embarrassment.

Grimmjow laughed at Ichigo's reaction. "You see, that's the Ichigo I prefer." He said pulling Ichigo into another hug ignoring the fiery orange-haired human's struggles.

"Listen" He said seriously. "It's not your job to worry about me; it's mine to worry about you. So, don't go showing that face around me."

Ichigo sighed and relaxed into his hug, now realizing why his roommate pulled that stunt. There were less humiliating ways to catch him off guard then kissing him though. Well it got the job done, but he really hoped that he wouldn't resort to that method whenever he wanted him to pay attention.

"That reminds me." Grimmjow said snapping his fingers at the sudden realization.

"What's u-?" Ichigo started before Grimmjow cut him off by placing his lips on Ichigo's neck and started sucking.

His breath hitched at the unexpected contact. It seemed that his roommate was really into physical contact today, but he would have appreciated a warning before Grimmjow decided to make any more decisions on his own, especially when they involved actions that were a bit more on the nose.

Seriously, what was up with him today? From the moment he woke up Grimmjow has been really touchy-feely with him, more than usual and that was saying something. Ichigo was never a really touchy person even with Renji and Rukia. He usually only touched or hugged them when he felt the need to and it mostly involved him elbowing or shoving them for doing or saying something stupid.

He shivered once his neck was released from his roommates mouth, now wet, a blotch of purple replacing Ichigo's tan skin. Grimmjow sat back and admired his handiwork.

"I decided to make it more noticeable this time." Grimmjow said critiquing his own work. "So this way everyone will know to back off."

"Geez, can't you do that some other time?" Ichigo ranted before he felt a glare focused on his back. He tensed and turned around to see Uryu standing next to the bed, curtains drawn back, carrying a tray of food, and the look of displeasure apparent on his face. Ichigo blushed and took the tray that was offered to him.

"It's not what you think." Ichigo said before mentally slapping himself in the face for realizing too late that Uryu already knew how the entire contract thing worked. He probably knew for way longer than Ichigo did.

"No need to be shy." Grimmjow said wiggling his eyebrows obnoxiously.

Uryu rightfully ignored him as he looked at a clipboard that was tucked under his arm while his hands were full.

Ichigo stared at the food not really sure how he felt about it. He didn't exactly have an appetite although he knew that he should be in starvation mode for being asleep for three days and therefore not getting a single bite of food.

"Let's see." Uryu said writing on the clipboard. "You woke up five days ahead of schedule, especially since we discovered that you were allergic to Grade A holy water and had to switch to Grade C. You responded well to treatment so we only hooked you up to an IV for a few hours a day since we didn't want to overwhelm you." Uryu clicked his pen and stuck it back into his clipboard. "Which begs the question, what the hell are you?"

Grimmjow laughed and ruffled Ichigo's hair. "I don't know either; my spell for memory wiping didn't work on him." Ichigo elbowed his roommate in the side signing that he was sharing information that should probably not be shared. "Oh and the effects from the contract are fading away faster than they should." Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow as he learned yet even more information he didn't know.

He wouldn't have thought that the mark was losing its effect. It made logical sense since none of the other spells that were used on him worked properly. Even if the spell didn't work properly it did do its job of being a freaking noticeable as hell hickey.

Uryu looked at Grimmjow in wonder. "Let me get this straight, you recruited Ichigo because of a mistake?" Uryu asked. "You would have fooled me considering you've had him written down for under consideration since this program started."

Ichigo sighed. Grimmjow was lucky that he told Ichigo that he was planning on recruiting him for a while. If he didn't then this would have been a huge shock and Grimmjow would have attacked Uryu for spilling his secret, guess Grimmjow telling him about that was a good action to take even though it did make Ichigo decide to spend the night at Renji's. He probably wouldn't have been abducted either, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"Well, twenty others had you signed under their name as well." Uryu said flipping a page on his clipboard not looking up at them anymore. "That was until Aizen signed you under his." Uryu turned the clipboard around which showed Ichigo's profile.

The clip board had Ichigo's student ID photo, which as per tradition, looked like a mug shot. Right next to it there was all his personal information, age, birthday, emergency contact, blood type, health insurance, the stuff you'd expect to see on a profile. Then there was a list of names, 'Jaegerjaquez' being the first one, but under that was a list of last names from all different origins and all crossed out until the last name that was signed, 'Aizen.'

Ichigo looked at the names in shock. The only ones he recognized were the two that were still there in the forest of scribbles. All guilt that he had of Grimmjow hurting himself for the purpose of saving him started to disappear as he realized what all these names meant. Uryu took the clipboard away, and gestured to the food on Ichigo's lap.

"Eat." He said and walked away pulling the curtains closed behind him.

Ichigo held the toast up and looked at it, before placing it back down. He cracked open the thermos and whiffed its contents, vegetable soup. It smelled better than any of the other foods you can find on campus even if it was basically hospital food, but it still didn't interest him.

"Do you want me to feed it to you?" Grimmjow asked jokingly.

"Don't be gross." Ichigo said shoving him on the side.

He opened the thermos and took a swig of it, ignoring the spoon that it came with. It wasn't hot, but it was warm and it was pretty good even though he still wasn't that interested in eating. Suddenly he heard the sound of running and then the curtains flew open. A panting redhead stepped through with a fiery look in his eyes. Ichigo swallowed hard and incorrectly making him cough harshly at the sudden surprise visit.

"Hey Renji," he said hoarsely in between coughs.

"Thank God you are awake." His best friend panted. He threw himself at Ichigo, wrapping him in a hug. "You have no idea how worried I was, dammit."

"You know I didn't shower in three day right?" Ichigo said trying to push his best friend off of him, suddenly aware of his body that was probably covered in both his and Grimmjow sweat; he had mega greasy hair, and horrid morning breath.

Renji just held on tighter, "I don't give a shit! I was worried about you, dammit." Ichigo gave up and accepted the hug, wrapping his own arms around his best friend.

Grimmjow watched sternly as Renji had a tight hold on his roommate. He was fuming, but he didn't say anything. His best friend was probably just acting that way because he was relieved that he was finally awake.

Uryu came jogging back into the room that he just left a little while ago. "Renji, I just said that we aren't seeing any visitors right now." Uryu pulled Renji off of him by the back of his collar and proceeded to drag him out of the room.

"That's not fair, why is Grimmjow here then? And if you aren't going to let me see him, why did you tell me that he was awake? I came running down here to see him, dammit." Renji complained as he was dragged out of the infirmary. Ichigo heard the sound of a closing door and suddenly he was alone again…well almost.

"I don't know what his big deal is. He kept on visiting while you were asleep too. It was kinda weird cuddling up to you while he sat there." Grimmjow said.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "People visit others in the hospital you know? It doesn't matter if I'm awake or not."

"Yeah, but geez, it was like he was afraid I was going to do something." He said. "It's not like I would turn you in front of all these vampire hunters and it's a bit risky and difficult to turn you if you are passed out."

"That isn't funny." Ichigo said sternly.

"What?" Grimmjow laughed. "I feel like I deserve more credit than you are giving me. If I was going to change you against your will I would have done it when I first met you."

Ichigo sighed, he did have a point. Still, if he was planning to get Renji's approval he would need to leap some higher mountains then what he was doing.

Grimmjow clicked his tongue, "so nosy."

* * *

Renji walked out of the door that that leads to the back rooms at health services. No one ever wondered what was behind those doors, probably assuming that it was equipment or something, but truthfully it was a wing that held all the vampire attack victims, not that there were many.

He always knew about the secret wing since he was one of the few humans that knew about the vampires in the first place. He felt guilty, if he knew that Ichigo was going to get hurt then he wouldn't have asked him to come along. How was he supposed to know that he would attract so much attention? It's true that there was probably more humans then vampires on this campus, but very few of them are actually recruited.

Vampires tend to be picky when it comes to turning humans since they are basically going to be stuck with them if they do decide to turn them. Kicking vampires out of their clans is a shameful act since vampires preferred to live in packs.

He should have listened to Rukia's warnings. How was he supposed to know that Ichigo had some sort of weird blood that attracted vampires? It made him curious about how he was able to survive twenty years with no knowledge on them. He knew about them the day Rukia proved that they were real and after that everything seemed to make sense, as if the world had a plot hole, but knowing about the supernatural filled in those holes.

"Is your friend alright?" A much older looking man with long silky black hair said when he saw Renji leave the building.

"I wouldn't know. He looked fine, but I got kicked out before I could talk to him because it wasn't visiting hours." Renji pouted.

"That isn't surprising; hunters are known to uphold their rules." The man said. "I understand since I'm the same way."

"The Kuchiki clan is known for its strict rules." Renji mumbled walking past him so that they could head back to their dorm.

The man was Byakuya Kuchiki, the head of the Kuchiki clan and Rukia's older brother. For some reason he decided to see what Renji was all about by himself rather than send a proxy like everyone else. It was incredibly uncommon for a head of a clan to come here by himself. Usually if they would come here they would also bring subordinates, but Byakuya said that the crowd would be in the way.

It was incredibly warm out and it seemed a lot of students weren't planning to take it for granted so a lot of people were outside causing them to walk closer together to lessen the chances of bystanders eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I know you are well aware of the rules you just wish to forget them." Byakuya said, "Which is why I can't believe I am saying this, but I've decided to let you join the clan."

Renji looked up with an astonished expression on his face. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to smile and shake his hand or bow to the older and more intimidating man that basically agreed to become his brother in-law.

"Though I believe Rukia wants to be the one to turn you. I think she would want to turn you as quickly as possible. I assume that when I tell her she will start to look for a flight over here as soon as possible." Byakuya said in the same monotone voice he was holding throughout the entire conversation, ignoring Renji's stunned reactions.

Renji immediately felt a wave of uncertainty crash over him. He's been trying to give up his humanity ever since he decided that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rukia so why was he so unsure now?

He was well aware that if he gained immortality then he would have to give up his human dreams, but he came to a realization that following his dreams wasn't the best route anyway. Did this happen to everyone when they are about to make a life changing decision? No way, deciding to quit your job to become a comedian feels the same way as actually deciding to follow through with giving up humanity.

Byakuya looked at the expensive looking watch that was on his left wrist. "I have a class to teach in about twenty minutes so I'm going to need you to figure out what you want to do until I decide to tell Rukia about the plans to turn you. Don't decide to tell her yourself." He said before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

Renji turned around to watch his fiancé's brother walk off without even giving him a proper goodbye. He didn't expect to get his blessing in this manner, but oh well, mission complete. He started to head back to his room so he could start to work on the homework that Professor Kuchiki assigned to him. It would be a disaster if he forgot about the homework that he needed to do for a class where he shared a room with the professor.

There were a ton of apartments at the other end of the campus that was meant for professors to live in temporarily if the commute was too hard. Renji had no idea why Byakuya insisted on living in a tiny dorm room with a student.

It was mega intimidating for his every move to be watched by the guy evaluating him, deciding whether he was worthy of being let in the clan or not. Also wouldn't students find it weird to see a professor walk into a dorm building?

He understood how he did it. Byakuya was a purebred vampire and he looked a lot older and acted way more sophisticated than any of the students here. The one running the program, Urahara, agreed to let him into the program instead of sending in a proxy like most of the other clans if he filled in the spot as a professor. Even though Byakuya always wore the same stern and emotionless expression Renji could tell that he totally liked the position of authority that was given to him.

Seriously, the dorming part was a bit unexpected though. Every time he smelled marijuana through the walls of the dorm room he always got nervous even though he wasn't the one smoking it. It was instinctual to not want to let a teacher see the worst even though they are well aware of what college life was like.

Renji couldn't help, but compare him to Rukia. He thought living with her brother would be similar to living with her, but they were polar opposites. He was so stern and it's true that Rukia can be gloomy sometimes herself, but she always joked around and cheered him up.

She can be bossy sometimes like her brother, but that's what being in a relationship is like. They also had a completely different air around them. Maybe it had to do with the way they were raised.

Byakuya was raised to be the air of the Kuchiki clan, he was a purebred vampire. He strived for perfection and was raised under strict rules. His idea of fun was to read a nonfiction book or do crossword puzzles. He didn't have much free time since he was always so busy grading papers, making assignments, and managing his clan.

Rukia on the other hand lived her childhood in an orphanage that was in a bad part of town. It was close to Karakura town though so it wasn't too far away. He met her in the playground after she ran away for the who-knew-how-many timeth when they were children. He was a little scared to approach her, but he managed to gather up the courage to talk to the girl sitting on the swing set.

He listened to her cries with his childhood naivety and her talking about it and expressing her emotions that she had to keep suppressed helped her calm down. That was when he learned how hard the real world was.

She cried to him about how hard it was to live in an orphanage, having to act like a big sister to everyone younger than her even though she was new to living in an orphanage herself. It was hard thinking about being adopted because her father just died and she didn't want a new father just yet.

She still mourned her father's death and she didn't have any known family so she was left in an orphanage which didn't treat her the way she should be treated. She carried around a photo of her father that was the only family that she knew about. Renji saw the photo only once in his life and it was at that time.

She would sneak out every weekend to see Renji at the playground at the same time. She even listened to him play the guitar when he first started lessons, he had to sneak it out of the house since his parents didn't want him to get it dirty. They would play and talk for hours.

Ichigo knew about his 'secret friend,' but never had the chance to meet her since he was always taking karate lessons at the time of their meet up and eventually his mother's death made him not want to leave his home. Around middle school age she was adopted, it was amazing for her since it was so rare for someone who was thirteen years old to even be looked at.

Everyone always wants the babies or young children. Not only was she being adopted at such an old age, but she was being adopted into a noble family. At their last meeting in the playground she decided to tell her only friend that she was getting a new family and that they were a family of vampires.

She told him that she was going to be turned into one as well and that she was spending her last moments as a human with him. He didn't believe her and even broke his ties with her which probably shattered her at that moment. Teaching her right there what it would be like to become a vampire.

She went to the same high school as him starting their freshman year. She wasn't in the same class as him, but she was in the same class as Ichigo. They became fast friends and one day he invited her to hang out with him and his best friend. He had no idea that the two of them had history and they had to explain that they were friends when they were younger.

Renji simply said that she was that friend he used to meet up with in secret. It was awkward hanging out together at first, but since Ichigo was there it was a lot easier to get along. Ichigo went home early because he didn't want to be late for curfew since the punishment was getting attacked by his dad. As they said goodbye Renji brought up what Rukia told him when they last saw each other.

She laughed saying that she was somewhat hoping that he would forget about that. She didn't want to lie to her first friend though and demonstrated that she was telling the truth all those years ago. She crushed a rock in her hand as if it were a clot of dirt to demonstrate her superhuman strength. Her adoptive brother Byakuya turned her and now she was a vampire.

After being utterly stunned and his reality being turned upside-down Renji accepted the truth and said that he was sorry for not believing her before. He felt bad leaving her all alone again after all of those years of listening to her and telling her that he wouldn't let her be alone anymore.

Their friendship became as strong as it was before she was adopted if not stronger, Renji being the only human that knew her secret. It eventually developed into something stronger and well, here we are.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please review and stuff like always. It'll be a huge help if you check out the new story I posted the other day. I'm not sure if I'm going to write it, but it would be great if you check it out and tell me how you guys feel about it. I have an idea of what I want to do, but it's up to you guys to decide whether I finish it or not.**


	9. Chapter 9

Guys, college is hard. For me it was the week before spring break and it was defiantly one of the most stressful weeks this semester. Why is spring break so late for me? Well, its spring break now so I now have more time to work on my story…Even if I have friends over right now. Seriously, someone is asleep on my couch as I am posting this.

* * *

Chapter 9

After several more attempts of escaping, Uryu finally agreed to let Ichigo have visitors and promised to let him leave the next morning only if he continued showing signs of recovery.

Even though he admitted that he was recovering quickly he doubted that he would be ready to leave by then since Ichigo was barely able to stand. He only said he would allow it so that Ichigo would calm the hell down.

Ichigo didn't find the precautions necessary. The pain after he woke up subsided, he was able to stand even if he was a little shaky, and as soon as he started eating his appetite gradually came back, but he decided to take what he could get and not fight with the hunter since he was the one holding the keys to his freedom.

He woke up earlier than expected so he was probably being generous by letting him leave before they usually would. They called him a special case, and he should just count his blessings at this point because he would be in way worse situations.

Ichigo had no idea that Uryu was working as a doctor already. He knew that he was training to become a doctor like he was, but apparently working in the infirmary as a volunteer to help with victims from vampire attacks counted as some sort of internship, no wonder the guy didn't have any time for a social life.

"Seriously, that's what happened?" Renji groaned, holding his head. He sat beside Ichigo with the curtain drawn back so that he had more space to sit.

The room was bright from the window behind him. It leaked in the sunlight that came from the afternoon during the springtime making the room seem even whiter. It felt like an asylum. "No one gave me the details."

Renji interrogated the freshly showered and dressed Ichigo about what happened to him after he left his room the morning after he slept over. Ichigo was able to convince Grimmjow to leave and that he was safe in the hands of the hunters. Knowing Grimmjow he probably wasn't too far away though, he probably didn't even leave the building.

"I feel so bad. If you stayed in my room a bit longer then this may not have happened." Renji whined. He laced his fingers through his hair, pulling it lightly and ruining the ponytail that his bright red hair was tied back in and making the bandana that he wore as a headband run back toward the top of his head.

Ichigo shook his head lightly, sympathizing with his best friend, understanding that he tended blame himself for things that he had no control over. "Not really, they were waiting for me. I could have left an hour earlier or an hour later and we would probably be in the same position we are in right now."

"But still, if I went with you then maybe they wouldn't have attacked you." Renji complained, not lifting his head from hiding.

"Or they could have attacked both of us." Ichigo suggested now shaking his friends shoulder urging him to get up. "You're a human so they would be able to take down the both of us or threatened you at least. Stop trying to win this fight; you get competitive over the stupidest shit."

Renji pulled his hands away, lifted his head a little and started to fix his spikey ponytail and readjust his bandana all while looking at the floor grumbling some things that weren't audible.

"Can we move on? What did I miss besides class?" Ichigo asked trying not to think about the pile of work that has most likely accumulated while he was gone and the hoops he's going to need to jump through to convince his professors that he was unconscious for three days and that was why he couldn't show up to class nor turn in his assignments.

'Excuse me professor, sorry I couldn't turn in my assignment. I got bitten by a vampire and went into a coma. Don't worry, I'm fine now, but can you give me an extension on my late assignments?'

Renji didn't move from his staring contest with the floor and started to rub his neck. He always did that when he had something on his chest that he wanted to confess, but didn't know how to say it.

"What's up?" Ichigo asked with a groan. Knowing Renji it was something stupid and the answer should be obvious, but it was the job of the best friend to tell him what to do.

"Byakuya agreed to let me join his clan." Renji said. Ichigo looked at him confused. "I'm officially allowed to propose to Rukia."

"Wait, isn't that a good thing?" Ichigo asked. "That's what you came here for."

Renji sighed and took his drum sticks out of his bag. "He said that if I truly wanted to become a vampire, I have to dash any hopes of pursuing music professionally. He said that when I first entered the program." Renji said sitting up so he can twirl a drum stick in his hand, blocking the light that was in Ichigo's eyes before with his large head of hair.

"It would be dangerous for them if one of their members becomes famous since vampires are immortal." He stopped his twirling to look at the drum sticks closely, as if he was looking at them for the first time even though he has had them for years and they have been through so much together. He ran his hand up and down the smooth wooden sticks as if that was going to be the last time he held them.

Ichigo sighed and leaned back in a sitting position with both of his hands pressed into the mattress. "Don't be an idiot. Just because you can't play professionally doesn't mean you can't play at all." He said. "Rukia loves your music, if you aren't going to play for the wide audience then play for her. She would be upset if you stopped playing because you couldn't do it professionally."

"I'm afraid that in a hundred years or something I'm going to look back and regret everything." Renji admitted.

It didn't matter if Ichigo just woke up three days later after being attacked by a vampire; it was always time to listen to his best friend if he is making life changing decisions. He was there to support any decision he made…unless it was stupid, in which case it was his job to yell at him. He always asked for advice, whether he followed it or not depended on the situation…it usually ended up with Ichigo being frustrated at him for doing the exact opposite of what he was supposed to do.

Ichigo looked deep into his best friend's black eyes. "Listen, you know you love Rukia, and you gave up on music professionally already. Why worry about something you decided you aren't going to do just because that option disappeared? Chase for something you are sure about, like spending the rest of your life with the girl you love." Ichigo said.

It wasn't common to say that he loved Renji and Rukia because it was weird to outright say your emotions in this day and age, but they were his best friends and he wanted them to be together even if it meant that he was going to eternally be the third wheel. It meant both of their happiness and that's what best friends are supposed to wish for. People really should say 'I love you' more often to their best friends because we don't say it enough. (Please go text your best friend and tell them you love them. This story will be here when you get back…there is no way for me to tell so you can just keep reading or whatever.)

Renji sighed ducking his head back down to look at his feet. "Yeah, I know, you're right, as always." He said. "But can you do something for me then?"

Ichigo gave him a puzzled look. "Sure."

"Give Grimmjow a chance." Renji said.

Of all the things Renji could have said, he did not expect that. Ichigo looked at him bewildered and at a loss for words so he decided to go with the intelligible response of "what?"

Renji's smile stretched across his face. "I know what it looks like when someone is in love or at least likes someone, and Grimmjow has it bad."

Ichigo was getting ready to deny it, but then he thought about it. Grimmjow ran into a room picking a fight with other vampires, and not just any vampires, Aizen. Not only that, but it was a room that he wasn't invited inside and once he was sure they were safe he was more scared for Ichigo's well-being then his own, staying by his side while he laid unconscious for three day, and right after Ichigo finally woke up he was very touchy…oh shit. No, he was still not going to admit it. There was no way.

"We aren't talking about this." Ichigo said trying to hide the red that was appearing on his face. "Did you tell Rukia that her brother gave you his blessing?"

"No, Byakuya wants to do it and he thinks Rukia wants to be the one to change me. Now that that conversation is over we are going to talk about Grimmjow because you need to know this." Renji said.

Ichigo glared at his best friend and started to question why this guy was even his best friend. He was too headstrong and will say things that he doesn't want to hear even if he really should.

"You need to give him a chance because I honestly think you like him too, Ichigo." Renji said. "You were always the type to deny your feelings in the interest to stay your stubborn self and stuff but, if you put your pride away for a second I think you'll like what you find. There are more emotions besides anger you know?"

Ichigo looked at his best friend. He wasn't usually the serious type; that was typically his job. If Renji is being serious that means that it was important and Ichigo needs to listen and take what he was saying to heart.

"Renji, I'm not gay. You know that." Ichigo argued.

Renji shrugged. "I also know you aren't 100% straight. There is a spectrum and there is no way you aren't against the idea of trying guys. What's there to lose? He's hot."

"My pride," Ichigo responded without a second of hesitation.

"I literally just said to put it away for a second." Renji moaned. "If you keep acting like that then we aren't going to get anywhere."

"You just want me to turn into a vampire so you don't have to do it alone." Ichigo joked, trying to get Renji back his default idiot mode.

Renji chuckled, "I won't deny that it would be a bonus, though I think you should seriously give it a try. It can't be too bad and you might like it."

Renji's face turned serious again drawing back Ichigo's attention. "You're exterior is hard, but you really should consider letting more people in, and letting some of your feelings out."

Grimmjow was right about one thing, Renji was really nosy.

* * *

Grimmjow sat outside the door waiting for Renji to leave, listening to the conversation on the other side, casually. He didn't know how to feel about what he overheard Renji say. Renji found out that he liked Ichigo, which was pretty surprising considering that they've only seen each other a few times, around twice with Ichigo there, the rest were when he was unconscious and the guy still decided to visit him while he was asleep. Seriously, why couldn't he leave the two of them alone?

They did have some time to get to know each other a bit better when he came over though. He thought Renji was only an idiot, but it seems that he was able to figure out that he liked his best friend even though he tried to keep that under wraps. If it was so obvious that the idiot was able to figure it out then he wondered how long it would have taken for Ichigo to figure it out himself. He was oblivious but there was no way he could be that oblivious.

He only discovered that he liked him more than a potential food source or play thing just recently. The night he was left alone he felt empty with no roommate to bother or protect. The next day when he felt uneasy his first instinct was to find him. As he fought Gin the only thing he could think about was to find him and protect him from Aizen. When he found him he didn't question running into that room even though he knew he was going to get hurt. The past few days where he was unconscious and wouldn't wake up no matter how many times he whispered his name when they were left alone was the loneliest he's ever felt in his entire life.

He just came to that realization himself so he didn't need Renji to go and tell the guy. He built a new plan to recruit Ichigo that revolved around making him fall in love with him even though he knew there was an off chance of that happening.

Then he ended up letting himself fall for the orangette, but he would let it slide as long as Ichigo confessed first. Grimmjow realized that this would also be wishful thinking considering how headstrong the guy in question was. If things went according to plan than Ichigo wouldn't have minded letting him turn him so that they could spend the rest of their immortal life together.

As for the second part of that conversation, he said that Ichigo liked him back. He just didn't seem to know it or admit it to himself yet. It was hard for Grimmjow to believe it himself. Yes he was very confident that he had the whole package, looks, sense of humor, sex appeal, but Ichigo was a hard person to convince even if he could convince anyone else.

It took Grimmjow a while to admit that he liked the guy, so he can't imagine how hard it must be for Ichigo to admit it. Seriously, this was Ichigo, the guy that only seemed to care about school work and being left alone. He was the only guy he has ever met that was more adamant then he was.

Grimmjow didn't think it was possible for him to fall in love either. He liked to sleep around and he didn't have a preference for what he likes more, male or female, but he never considered love. He slept around so much that he had to break many hearts because after hooking up with someone regularly they would develop feelings.

He didn't usually care though; it was their fault for continuing to hook up with him knowing that their feelings won't be returned. Now here he was, now considering Ichigo's feelings and well-being above everything else in his life.

Who couldn't believe how he was acting himself. He still didn't want to admit it, or at least say it out loud. He wanted to make Ichigo fall for him so that he didn't have to say it first even though he knew the chances of that happening were slim.

He had a week long plan, he had to skip a few days because of Ichigo's condition, but if what his friend said was true then he wouldn't need to worry about that anymore. The only part that can cause a problem is to make Ichigo say it himself.

The door opened right next to him and Renji walked out. He met eyes with Grimmjow and blinked twice before a smirk replaced the dumbfounded expression that came when he discovered him by the door with his ear practically pressed up against it.

"Looks like it's up to you now, buddy." Renji said gesturing behind him with his head after he closed the door so that Ichigo wouldn't be able to hear him.

Grimmjow clicked his tongue. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said looking away from the guy who now had a shit eating grin on his face. Who knew this idiot was able to see right through his little act?

"Whatever you say, champ." Renji said walking away with a sway in his step which looked way too cocky for Grimmjow's liking. "Keep in mind that I've known about vampires for a very long time, so I know about your heightened senses. If you were a human then you wouldn't have heard anything, but since you don't fall in that category you shouldn't pretend that you didn't hear anything."

Grimmjow sighed getting up from where he was sitting on the floor and opening the door that was just recently closed. He walked inside and opened the curtains to Ichigo's bed. Ichigo laid under the freshly changed sheets, hair still damp from the shower, eyes closed. He climbed over him and laid beside him wrapping an arm around his body, spooning him.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of Ichigo's damp hair which smelled like the combination of shampoo and Ichigo's natural scent. The scent and the sound of Ichigo's heart beating relaxed him; all his tense muscles went slack against Ichigo's body as he closed his own eyes.

"You know, my fever is gone." A voice said coming out of the figure that he was clinging to. Grimmjow could already feel the boy's body temperature rise as his ears and neck turned red. "You really don't have to do this anymore."

Grimmjow hummed like he was purring and pulled Ichigo tightly against his own body. "I don't care, I want to stay."

Ichigo said nothing exhaling, realizing that nothing he says would convince him as he backed himself up further into Grimmjow's chest, trying to get comfortable. Grimmjow smiled curling up into Ichigo's hair before letting himself fall asleep too.

* * *

Gin sat in his bed that was assigned to him for the rest of the month. He was on dorm arrest for a few days for picking a fight on what was practically his first day. The hunters scolded him not for provoking the fight, but doing it in an open area, right in front of a dorm building where anyone could be looking right out of a window even if it was pretty early in the morning.

Vampire hunters tend to not give a shit when a vampire dies; they have always been natural enemies. Even though a few guilds decided to gain an understanding of vampires and other supernatural entities, like the ones overlooking this entire program, it is hard to overwrite centuries of wars between them and the countless deaths that took place.

Hunters were also known to stick to a strict guideline; the fact that some hunters reached out and tried to make peace was amazing. Soken Ishida was basically the Avatar, he was the bridge between the two worlds. He was later killed by hunters which resonated with a lot of other hunter guilds for good reasons and bad.

Some believed that it showed how weak he was while others believed that hunters should cut back on the violence and try to gain an understanding. Even with this belief system to try and understand each other the ideology was still considered new. The hatred of vampires was in their blood even if they wanted to get along.

From the vampires' point of view it looked more like they were pretending. They can pretend that they care all they want, but what they have is basically an agreement, and if any of them stepped out of line then they would have to pay for it.

Every vampire clan attending this event knows better than to pick a fight with the hunters that watched over them. They all understood why they were there, to keep the peace. The peace being making vampires existence mythology in the eyes of the people who weren't affected by the program, and there were plenty of them. More than people who knew about them.

This fake abroad program is one of the biggest in the world and held once every four years. It's known for the amazing classes, the diversity, and the amount of credits they give out. Even if the purpose of having the humans there is for clans to try and expand their size, not a lot are picked because the point of the program is to promote peace between clans.

Many vampires go not to recruit, but to sort out feuds and work out contracts to absorb or conjoin clans. Gin laughed as he thought of the reason why he was there. It was the complete opposite of what the program was trying to encourage. He was going for war.

He jumped off of his bed and walked to the Microfridge, basically a microwave and a fridge combined to protect against using too much power that can potentially cause fires. Most college students living in dorm rooms know what this is.

He opened up the fridge section and pulled out a bag of blood and poured it into a mug. He squeezed and twisted the bag until he got impatient, it was impossible to get every last drop. He put the mug in the microwave to warm it up.

It was impossible to make the blood taste like it wasn't from a bag, but warming it up made it taste like it wasn't processed vomit. Gin wasn't really fond of it either; he would usually hunt for small animals or if it was a special occasion a blood hooker. There weren't a lot of animal options on campus though and none of them were for him since he wasn't even allowed to leave that room.

He hasn't exactly had a special occasion where he ordered a blood hooker in a long time. It's been about four years. It was when he went to the program for the first time and became sworn allies with the Hitsugaya clan.

He went back home to Japan where his clan set up headquarters to find that his entire family was turned to ash. It was one of the largest forms of humiliation for a clan to get killed off after signing a contract of any kind. Clans are very prideful even in death.

Not having any other choice, Gin became an independent vampire not having a home to return to since his old one was discovered and destroyed. It was rough living on the streets and trying to keep hunters' eyes off of him, but eventually he was saved by Aizen who let him into his clan with open arms.

The microwave beeped as Kaname Tosen walked into the room. He was supposed to be on dorm arrest too for abducting a human and creating a scene, but he seemed reluctant to listen to the rules when he was in charge of managing a bunch of other jobs that was assigned to him by Aizen.

He claimed that the rules were stupid considering they only had two more weeks until it became acceptable to force vampirism on humans that refused to turn. Yes, there was a rule for that and it was fucked up. He smelled the room and sighed walking to his own bed.

They were roommates until the program ended and they weren't exactly the best fit. Gin came to the school late, but they were still in the same room together since they were both under Aizen's name.

"Your dorm arrest is over." He said. "You don't need to be here anymore."

Kaname Tosen was never fond of him, which made sense since they were opposites. He was a man of discipline and loyalty… where he applied that discipline and loyalty varied, but he was still a whole lot more disciplined then Gin.

Gin, went with the flow and only paid attention to things that amused him. He didn't like doing tasks that he found boring and tended to pass on his responsibilities to others. The recipient of those responsibilities was usually Tosen.

Gin actually following through with his dorm arrest was mostly out of laziness, since he didn't feel like doing anything. He didn't care about the rules either, but he'll follow them if they are to his convenience and him being on dorm arrest was an excuse to make everyone leave him alone.

"You didn't even have to get in trouble. Your job was to stall Grimmjow, not pick a fight with him." Tosen said. "What you did was reckless and wrong. You gave him a reason to prepare for war."

Gin waved a hand at him to show that he didn't care as he sipped from his mug. "Yes, but fighting is way more fun and it's a way easier to keep him there that way. Did you actually expect me striking up a conversation would stall him for long? Also, by the way things are going we are going to have to go to war. Wouldn't it be better if he knew what he was in for?"

His roommate scoffed, "Only fools thinking about what's right in front of them would say that. When playing the long run it is best to keep the enemy in the dark."

Gin laughed, Kaname would know something about being left in the dark. He was completely blind. He was cursed with the ability to put humans to sleep upon looking at them, a useful skill except the side effects were brutal. He is unable to control his ability and he was cursed with blindness. It was basically like Medusa turning mortals to stone; though she was evil she lived a life alone. Szayelaporro, a member of Aizen's family invented the glasses that he wears to keep his power in check.

Though he was blind he never really had a problem getting around. Gin had no idea how he did it, but he was able to walk around without bumping into things, talk to people knowing fully well who they were, and attend class. Most people didn't even know that he was blind. Gin had no idea how he was able to take exams though since he wasn't able to read.

"If he didn't know you were part of the family then you could have been a secret weapon. You are known for your fighting ability." Kaname lectured. Not really realizing that Gin wasn't listening, either that or he didn't care since the other vampire seemed to like the sound of his own voice. He had a bad habit of talking more then he needed to. That's probably why he was still single.

After a few minutes of him just talking with Gin not really listening he finally said something worth listening to. "Ichigo Kurosaki woke up, so we can move on to the next phase of our plan."

* * *

 **A/N: As always please review and stuff. Also if you did text your best friend that you loved them please tell me how that went. You can leave a review about it or if you're shy but you still wanna talk about it you can PM me. I don't mind, seriously. You can also just leave a regular review, tell me what you liked. I'm going to go play _Persona 5._**


	10. Chapter 10

Before we start I just wanted to wish the people who celebrate a Happy Easter. Holidays aside, I can't believe that you guys actually stuck with me for this long. Seriously, we made it to chapter 10 and I can't believe how far we have come… and how much we have left. Anyways thanks for sticking around so long. Hope you enjoy what is to come.

* * *

Chapter 10

Ichigo finally was able to catch up with all the work he missed and was finally able to go to class actually knowing what the professors were talking about. It took sacrificing his entire weekend to catch up and read everything that he missed from notes in class to textbook work, but he was able to do it.

His professors gave him a pass, but it didn't exactly feel like one. What they mean by pass is that they didn't count attendance and participation for the classes he missed and they weren't going to scold him on late assignments. He still needed to play catch-up which meant having to do everything in just two days.

Seriously, professors all think that their class is the only one that exists and that Ichigo didn't need to worry about having to do the same amount of work for four other classes. As if college wasn't hard enough there was a huge gap from missing lectures.

He had to cram all the textbook chapters in his head over the past two days, but after two hours of complete concentration on his biology textbook he felt like he was turning into a zombie. After an entire weekend of studying he felt like he died, became a zombie and then died again.

He needed to pass those classes, they were required for his major and there was no way he was going to fall behind because of an injury. It'll look like he slacked off because he wanted to play around in a different country.

As if studying and repeatedly telling himself that he was torturing himself for the sake of becoming a doctor wasn't hard enough Grimmjow was bored all weekend. He refused to leave the room if it meant that Ichigo was going to be alone. He claims that it is very likely for Ichigo to get kidnapped if he was alone for too long. The end of the semester was approaching quickly so all the vampires were now officially agitated to get their hands on anyone like Ichigo, but there was no one like that at this school.

Ichigo's existence seemed to have raised the standards of all the vampires at this school who were looking to expand. Grimmjow wasn't really anxious about them as much since Aizen wanting Ichigo for himself scared off a lot of his other rivals. Aizen was the only one that put him on edge after he revealed his ugly side.

Before he would only bother Ichigo by doing harmless stuff like flirting and trying to convince him to join his side. Then he attacked him which showed just how serious he was. There was no way this guy was planning to leave without him, but he wouldn't try to pull another stunt right after Ichigo woke up from the last one…right? He and Grimmjow were both on guard.

Aizen was the kind of person that didn't care about his followers, clan members, or alliances. He would send them through a burning fire if it meant getting what he wanted. So there was no way Grimmjow was planning to leave him alone for more than a second and for the first time Ichigo didn't protest against it.

The result was that Grimmjow voluntarily did nothing and confined himself in the room with Ichigo all weekend to make sure nothing happened to him. He would occasionally demand the boy's attention as if he were a fickle cat which only distracted Ichigo from his work. He was so needy and inconsistent, but it was clear that the reason why he acted like that was because he was bored.

No matter how Grimmjow tried to get Ichigo's attention he wouldn't bother giving it to him for more than a second. He would call his name, sit on his bed, and poke him, but all Ichigo really did was shoo him away while his nose was stuck in a book with a stick shoved up his ass.

His plan to make Ichigo fall in love with him has been falling apart for a while, but he was frustrated that he wasn't able to get Ichigo to pay attention to him for his own sake. After every attempt he made to get Ichigo's attention he never got more than a brief glance.

Eventually he got frustrated so he just started to try and use spells on him. His magic didn't seem to affect him, but he was hoping to at least get his attention. No matter what he tried to do Ichigo didn't even notice him since none of them were even working. Seriously, what is he?

When Monday came around and it was time for Ichigo's bio class, the class he shared with Aizen. Grimmjow fought with Ichigo telling him that he shouldn't go to a class if that creep was in it. Ichigo sighed scratching his head, actually considering the idea.

He wasn't an idiot, he knew that it was risky to go anywhere near that guy. He hoped that he would leave him alone after what happened a few days ago, but his luck has proved different on many occasions. "If I'm in danger I trust you to save me." He said coming to a conclusion, he braced himself to argue with Grimmjow even though he completely understood his view point.

Grimmjow looked into Ichigo's eyes; they didn't have any doubt in them. Even though he didn't want to let Ichigo do something so reckless he also didn't want to reject every single one of his desires. He was human and he didn't voluntarily sign up for everything that was happening to him.

He also didn't want to fuck up. He wanted Ichigo to be happy. He wasn't used to the whole 'love thing,' but he guessed that the desire to see him smile came with it, and Ichigo wasn't exactly much of a smiler.

Ichigo finally trusted him to protect him if anything were to happen. It filled him up with some sort of pride that wasn't there before. He was always prideful, but it felt different this time. Like the self-esteem that he gained from Ichigo was special and filled him up with warmth.

When they approached Ichigo's class, Aizen was waiting outside for them. Grimmjow pushed Ichigo behind him protectively glaring at Aizen dead in the eyes with the ferociousness of an enraged jaguar. Aizen's face remained the same, smug, which only added to the anger that was held in the blue-haired vampire's face.

He may have looked immature to onlookers, but he didn't care. He didn't waver at all. He needed to make it clear that he seriously didn't like him or what he did to Ichigo, not that he needed to prove the obvious.

"There you are. I've been waiting for you." Aizen said coolly as if nothing happened between them.

Grimmjow snarled like a wild animal as he shoved the orange-haired human into the classroom using his own body as a barrier to prevent Aizen from even being close enough to touch him. Aizen didn't attempt getting past him, but Grimmjow's eyes didn't leave his during their epic stare down.

Nel watched them from inside the classroom and nodded her head in a direction to direct Ichigo to sit down next to her and immediately wrapped her arms protectively around him causing him to blush. She also had a bad habit of relying on her instincts. Her instincts said protect, but the other students in the class were probably very confused, either that or pissed that Ichigo was getting attention from the class hotty.

"Stay away from him." Grimmjow hissed. Aizen raised his hands to broadcast that he was aware that he was in the wrong, but it was clear to Grimmjow, who wasn't even that good at figuring out what other people were thinking, that the guy was full of shit.

"I may have over stepped my boundaries, but I was hoping to talk to you today." Aizen said comfortably as if he was trying to bring Grimmjow's anger down a few notches, but he only managed to piss him off even more.

"The fuck do you want with me?" Grimmjow asked through gritted teeth that displayed his sharp canines, still keeping the bitterness very apparent in his voice.

"Just a talk about the future," Aizen said. "I was hoping in private."

Grimmjow clicked his tongue and was ready to leave him where he was standing. He was completely not interested in what he had to say or interested in how the other vampire was going to provoke him.

"This involves your clan, for your own benefit you are going to want to hear me out." Aizen said. He got closer and whispered something close enough to his face so that Grimmjow could feel his breath "and I'm pretty sure your dad would want you to hear this."

Grimmjow stilled, than looked over at Nel who was now sitting on Ichigo's desk watching the situation. She gave him a reassuring look, promising that she will make sure Grimmjow's chosen human was kept safe.

Ichigo looked back from where he was sitting with a worried demeanor written across his face; completely left in the dark like he always was. He wondered what was going on and he wished he could help, but he knew that he would get in the way. It frustrated him so much since he knew it involved him and Grimmjow could tell. He was able to read his so easily.

Grimmjow smirked arrogantly trying to convince him that he had everything under control. He knew that if it was Ichigo there was no way that he would buy it, since he seemed to know how to read him as well, but it was all he could do before nodding his head to Aizen and following him.

Aizen reached out to hold Grimmjow's shoulder to lead him, but Grimmjow slapped his hand away and glared at him for trying to act all buddy-buddy with him. It was very clear that he could follow him without the hand holding. Honestly, Aizen was pissing him off before they even started talking.

Aizen led him away from the classroom towards a park bench that was practically on the outskirts of the campus. Aizen gestured that he wanted him to sit. Grimmjow reluctantly agreed knowing that it was the best way to get this over with fast, but he still kept his guard up.

Grimmjow could still see people in the distance which reassured him that Aizen wasn't going to try anything so it was safe to play his game… for now. He knew Aizen didn't really pick physical fights. Everything was a mental game with him and every move he made was calculated. If all his lackeys were foot soldiers then he was the general.

Grimmjow slouched in his seat as Aizen remained standing so that he seemed like he was the one in authority. Grimmjow rolled his eyes as he watched Aizen strut around like he was royalty. Grimmjow knew that he was full of himself, not that he planned to change that. He was awesome, but this guy must have been a step above him in terms of arrogance since he was strutting around like a pampered peacock.

"Okay, what do you want?" Grimmjow growled.

Aizen smirked before pacing behind Grimmjow and held him lightly by the shoulders. The blue haired vampire didn't flinch at the sudden contact knowing that the opposing vampire was only trying to psych him out and get him on edge. He had no idea why he was going for this approach, but there was no way he was going to let him freak him out. It took way more than that to make him lose his cool.

"I want you in my clan." Aizen said smoothly lightly rubbing Grimmjow's shoulders in small circles. Grimmjow couldn't help but laugh violently doubling over, breaking the contact between his shoulders and Aizen's hands.

"You want me to leave the Jaegerjaquez clan? To join you?" He howled. "You want me to leave my clan, my family which is the strongest in Germany to willingly become one of your subordinates? What planet are you from?"

Aizen looked over at him smugly. "I'm well aware of your clan's reputation, and your clan's desires."

Grimmjow's eyes hardened, and Aizen continued to pace around Grimmjow so that he was standing in front of him again. Standing like he was better than him and Grimmjow should be grateful to be offered such an amazing opportunity to sign his life and freedom away.

"We are well aware that your clan has lost a lot of influence around the world around 1945 at the end of World War II, you've lost all of your branches in Asia." Aizen said knowingly.

Grimmjow fixed his icy eyes on him as he started to pace around him again like a predator stalking his prey. Grimmjow huffed; there is no way that he is going to be the prey here.

"I know you all want to expand again and I know you are trying to start by setting up a branch in Japan. You haven't been so lucky though, have you? The hunters are always ready for you and they are ready to flush you out."

That son of a bitch knew way too much about what was going on with his clan. How the fuck does he know that much? Yeah, it was ambitious of his clan to try and set up a branch in Japan since there were a lot of hunters there…maybe it's because a lot of people were inspired by the anime and video game culture there.

They thought they would have a better chance since Soken Ishida was born and started a revolution of knew beliefs there. Too bad the results said otherwise since there was also a lot of backlash against him there and his clan was suffering because of it.

Aizen waved his finger drawing Grimmjow's attention back to him again. "My clan practically controls all of Asia, surpassing the Kuchiki clan in terms of power. We can help you out as long as you join my family."

Grimmjow glared at him, not saying a word. His expression spoke for itself, 'walk away.'

"How about letting my clan absorb yours? You can keep your name if you are so prideful about it, but as long as you are part of my family then I will be satisfied. I don't care as long as you are part of my clan."

Grimmjow looked at him with discontent. "The answer is no. Your clan helping mine is equivalent to you taking it over and stripping us of our name. My clan isn't the type to be ruled over; it's the type to rule."

He started to get up, but Aizen pushed him back down by his shoulders. "We aren't done yet." Aizen said calmly. "Your father's belief was to climb to the top by taking every advantage you can get and your clan got this far just by doing that. Here is another opportunity and I'm unsure why you aren't more enthusiastic it."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. What the fuck did this guy know about his dad? If he is only paying attention to only one of the things his dad taught him then he was going to have a hard time trying to convince him.

"I'm well aware that you are not exactly the leader of your clan, your father is. I didn't talk to you expecting to shake hands with you and suddenly absorb your clan. That's your father's responsibility. You are in charge of whether you want to leave or not though, and I can make leaving or conjoining with me very appealing."

Grimmjow scowled at Aizen, not really knowing what he was referring to, but ready to reject whatever stupid suggestion, advice, or manipulation that was thrown at him.

"I'm pretty sure the reason why you are here is because your father wants to hand over the clan's responsibilities to you and make you the leader." Aizen said.

Grimmjow immediately stiffened. He stayed quiet though since he was ready for what was about to come next. He was just amazed that Aizen knew this much and it seriously creeped him the fuck out. If he knew about that then it wouldn't be farfetched for him to know about _that_ too.

"You accepted his request, but he didn't want you to lead the clan unless you picked a mate and successfully completed a contract with her." Aizen said superciliously. "And in your case 'contract with him'"

He laughed as he sat down next to Grimmjow finally getting on the same level as him, crossing his legs, and resting his arm on the wood behind Grimmjow's neck. He lifted his hand and cupped Grimmjow's cheek.

"Your problem is that Ichigo isn't yours so you aren't the leader yet. There is going to be no throne for you unless you listen to my proposal." Aizen said lowly. "I'll make sure that he won't be able to agree to a contract. Sure you can pick another mate, but I'm sure you don't want anything bad to happen to him." He said patting Grimmjow's cheek before he was swatted away.

"So you need to pick, whether you are going to leave or conjoin with me. You'll get what you want. If you refuse, well, I hope you wouldn't because I wouldn't want to see what Ichigo would look like as a ghoul. He's seriously good looking and his blood is definitely special. If you didn't want him then I would have wanted him for myself." He said getting up with a smug smile written across his face.

Grimmjow's eyes were full of fury. Is this what Aizen meant that his dad would want him to listen to his demands. It's true that his dad wanted him to find a mate and he preferred that he fell in love with the person of interest, but he wouldn't be happy handing the clan over to this asshole.

His father believed in love even though he never found it himself. He instead decided to find love in raising his family by himself. Grimmjow never understood why his father believed that there was such thing as falling in love if he never did himself, but now that Grimmjow has tasted what it was like there was no way he was going to let it go.

There was no way he was going to lose Ichigo, and there was no way he was going to give up his clan. He wasn't going to leave his family and there was no way he was going to give himself up to allow his clan to be independent and to ensure that Ichigo is safe.

He had no idea what that asshole was planning and even though he was confident in his abilities there was no way he was going to be able to fight an army of vampires. All he did know is that he had to stand strong and make sure Aizen didn't do anything that would be threatening. He was going to make sure that this guy didn't get anything he wanted from him.

"Well my bio class is about to start soon, so I better get going. You think about it."

Grimmjow squeezed his hands into fists and he could feel his veins popping around his head as he tried his best to restrain himself from chasing after Aizen and attempting to kill him.

Even if he did succeed there would be witnesses and he would surely be killed by either hunters or Aizen's clan. He wasn't only threatening himself, but his clan. "Shit." Grimmjow hissed to himself as he slumped back against the park bench.

He knew full well that even if he decided to mate with someone else Aizen would find a way to make sure that she/he dies and he would kill Ichigo as a bonus just to get him upset. He wasn't going to let that happen.

There was no way he was going to let anyone hurt Ichigo, he's been looking for a mate fruitlessly for decades and he never found anyone that fit the bill like he did. He didn't believe in love, but damn he tried his best.

When other vampire girls found out that he was looking for a mate they threw themselves at him. Some were fun to mess around with, but he didn't take them seriously. Others were just plain annoying and he had to compose himself to prevent himself from getting violent with them.

Ichigo was the only person that he ever liked romantically. Sure, he was human, couldn't give him any advantages to recruit other clans, and not to mention male which was a disadvantage since they couldn't reproduce, but he was the only person that didn't throw himself at him or be intimidated by him because of his family or strength. If he is intimidated by him then he was doing a damn good job of hiding it since he doesn't let Grimmjow shove him around. He is so damn fun to mess with and he wouldn't mind being with him forever no matter how creepy that sounded in his head.

He got up and started to walk towards his dorm, suddenly hungry after not eating for what must have been a week at this point. He had blood bags in his fridge that he used to lock up so that Ichigo wouldn't go poking around in there. He must have looked so weird putting a lock on a fridge. It makes sense why he locked it up, it was to make sure Ichigo didn't go poking around to find them and discover that he is a vampire or at least some creep that sells organs in the black market or some weird human that was addicted to drinking blood. He saw something like that on TV once.

It must have looked really unusual to Ichigo though. He must have seemed like the type that was just really possessive of his stuff, which he is. He doesn't want anyone touching what is his, and that is why he gets angry at anyone who touches or flirts with Ichigo. Even before he claimed that Ichigo was his he was uncomfortable when he saw Ichigo talking to girls or when his stupid best friend got too close.

Once he got back to his dorm room he heated up a blood bag. He poured it into a mug and just stared at it. He sniffed it, and grimaced before sticking his finger in it. He stared at his stained finger turning his hand so that the blood wouldn't trail down and stain his clothing. He popped his finger in his mouth and nearly gagged at the taste.

Blood from bags are known to taste terrible, but it's cheaper than blood hookers and the other alternative that would have been safe is hunt for animals, but their blood doesn't necessarily taste good either and the chance of finding an animal besides a few squirrels is kind of narrow at this school. They were probably already all hunted out.

The problem with the blood from the bag though was that it tasted worse than usual, it tasted like ashes mixed with water. He groaned in frustration as he checked the blood type on the bag. It was B, his least favorite but it never tasted like that before. He poured the contents of the mug back into the bag and threw it in the trash can under his desk.

He pulled out one of his A type bags this time, his favorite of the blood types, before repeating the process of heating up the bag and pouring it into his mug. It didn't smell right though, but he couldn't really judge without tasting it.

He took a hesitant sip before crashing the mug down on his desk in frustration making a bit of blood slosh outside of the cup and onto his desk and his hand. He didn't care; he threw the other bag in the trash as well before throwing himself on his bed.

This was new; bagged blood never tasted this badly. The last time he ever reacted that way towards it was when he was still new to being a vampire and drank from a human for the first time; he became rebellious and refused to drink from bags because drinking from a human tasted so much better.

He thought back to the last time he drank from a human; about a week ago he called in for a blood hooker because he was in the mood and he got a coupon. She got scared and didn't let him finish what he paid for; maybe the agency gave out coupons because she was new. He didn't exactly get a refund either.

Whatever the case was she ran out and since he got enough blood in him to remind him that he was hungry he went into a minor frenzy. That was when…shit. He drank from Ichigo which was the best blood he ever tasted. Now that he thought back he remembered getting another taste of Ichigo's blood when he had to suck the venom out of him when he was going through the first stage of vampirism because of Aizen. Even with Aizen's venom in it Ichigo's taste was still overwhelming.

He rolled over and groaned staining his sheets with blood. He should have washed his hands; he was running out of hydrogen peroxide that he used to get blood stains out. He should have just gotten black sheets. He just groaned and decided to sleep off the hunger. He thought about Ichigo's blood a bit more and groaned in frustration clutching at the bed sheets that he laid on top of.

"Shit." He whispered to no one in particular. He spoiled his taste buds. After tasting the best blood he ever had there was no way that he can go back to blood that tasted like shit right away. It had to be Ichigo's. It had to be Ichigo's or starving.

He had to wait until he comes back and there was no way he would give it to him willingly. Grimmjow threatened him saying that he had to give him his blood before he fell for him. Now he didn't want to threaten Ichigo into doing something that he wasn't willing to. If he wanted Ichigo to give him blood he wanted him to be okay with it.

He quickly shot a text to Nel asking if it was okay for her to escort him back. He put his phone on the side table by his bed after he got a response that stated that she would do it before he buried his face inside his pillow so he could take a nap.

* * *

Feet crunched on the dirty floor that was covered in ashes and dried blood. The room reeked of dead bodies, but the two people investigating the room continued inside reaching the furthest area at the end of the hallway. An emblem with a red fox on it was torn to shreds as it hung onto the wall by threads.

"This is where the Ukitake clan was massacred?" An allegedly young boy with green eyes said. His hair was white and spiked as if he was making an effort to seem taller, but to his distain he was only around 4'5 which was way too small for his age.

"Yes." A busty blond woman said with a downcast, hurt look in her eyes.

The boy looked over noticeably concerned that the sight of her old clan's remains was too much for her. He had no doubts that she was strong even in the face of difficult times, but he had to ask her again to make sure she was okay to moving forward and following through with the investigation.

"I need to ask you again if it's okay to take samples of the blood and ash from here." The boy said with a stern look and hardened eyes as he covered his face with his hand, the smell of the room suddenly starting to overwhelm him and his heightened senses that came with being a vampire didn't help.

He hated being in that room, the crime scene for a mass slaughter. "Matsumoto, you realize that once I take the samples I'm going to send them to Kurotsuchi, the famous supernatural scientist. I don't know what he plans to do with them. He is a madman and he does his job well, but I don't know what he plans to do to get the results or what he plans to do after."

"Yes, I need closure and for that I need to actually find out what happened here. There is no point in respecting the remains if it means that we can't figure it out." The woman, Matsumoto said kneeling down to look closer at the ashes on the floor. "Ashes tend to look like sand; I've never seen black ashes before from supposed dead vampires."

"If there is a point where you are too uncomfortable being here then you can leave. I'll take care of the rest myself." The white haired boy that seemed to be the figure of authority said.

"It's okay, thank you so much Toshiro." She said giving him a weak smile that was filled with gratitude and sorrow.

The two of them worked on gathering evidence, taking out test tubes to pick up samples of ash and old blood on the floor. They took photos of the crime scene and pulled out the teeth from the decaying bodies that remained behind. They needed to know who these people were, and their time of death.

The logo on their clothing and weaponry revealed that they were from the Silver Arms guild, a guild of hunters known to still act hostile towards the supernatural and went so far to hunt down vampire families that were not careful enough to not keep their hideouts secret.

They were one of the guilds that strongly refused Soken Ishida's belief system and wrote him off as a crazy old man that doesn't understand the pride and history of the hunters even though his family had a long ancestry of hunters.

It would make sense that they decided to make the Ukitake clan a target, though the boy knew that his uncle, Jushiro was known for being incredibly smart, careful, and peaceful to a point that even the most hostile of vampire hunters wouldn't bother with them.

It made no sense that such a cautious man let his hideout become known to a guild of bloodthirsty hunters. The Silver Arms have been known to be quite ruthless so it wasn't surprising that they would attack a pacifistic clan, but they were never really good pathfinders. Despite being known for their fighting technique they didn't get much action since they lacked in the searching department. There was no way they would have found this place unless they had help. The question was who would target that clan by giving away such classified information.

"This may be out of my place to say this, but after looking around this place I can't help but feel that this place is not normal." He said after getting up from his crouching position, his knees cracking from being bent for too long.

"If what I think is true then Gin may be a traitor." Matsumoto said her face morphing into sorrow.

"Gin may be considered a traitor either way." He said. "I sympathize with you since the two of you were so close, but measures must be taken if your suspicions are true."

Matsumoto shook her head. "I've known him since we were both kids, but if he really is going behind our backs I want justice. As much as I don't want to believe this the results will tell."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there any way to tell what that guy is thinking?"

She laughed nervously. "You have as much of a chance at guessing as I do. I've known him for a very long time, but I have never been able to tell what he was thinking. He's so unpredictable and there is no way to tell what would get under his skin."

Toshiro sighed. "If you don't know then no one does." He looked over at Matsumoto sternly. "If he really is a traitor then we have to take certain measures. It pains me to think about hurting someone I once considered a friend, but I and the rest of our clan won't tolerate anyone that forms an alliance with Aizen and I must say that I agree with them."

"You never did tell me why your clan has such hatred for Aizen's." Matsumoto said dubiously. It was a mystery for most. It was well known that his clan had beef with Aizen's but the reason why was kept very secret.

Apparently, the day Aizen's clan lashed out at his was when it became apparent just how powerful his clan has become. He kept very quiet, building up his clan's strength under the radar. Whatever happened was the start of Aizen's retaliation against non-purebred vampires.

He looked over at her questioningly before his face relaxed. "I guess it is unfair if I don't tell you since you are now part of the Hitsugaya clan."

He started to walk towards the exit on the other side of the room and the woman followed him close behind. "He killed my sister, Momo. She fell in love with him and as a way to invoke anger with my clan he killed her."

Matsumoto gasped, but continued to listen. "He succeeded in enraging my father. He was the one that turned her and he treated her like a daughter despite not being blood related. Though he was upset he wanted to take a page out of my uncle's book and tried to sort this out peacefully."

Matsumoto thought back to her kindhearted clan leader. Though he was sickly, which was very rare for vampire, especially pureblooded ones, he always wanted to listen to reason before allowing himself to take actions. They survived for a long time as a guild filled with pacifists until they were all slaughtered. With Gin gone during that time she and her clan leader were the only ones who were capable fighters. They weren't enough.

He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "Aizen didn't want peace though. He set up a conference to sort out how to deal with the issue, he was attacked before he even made it there, and that is why I am the head of the Hitsugaya clan. I wasn't ready, but I am the only one fit enough to lead it.

The woman touched the boy's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Toshiro."

"There is nothing we can do about it. It's in the past; all we can do is fight him in the future." He said brushing her hand away as he picked up a metal plate that looked like a patch of earth that led to the outside world. "I just hope for everyone's sake that the results of this test don't point towards them, for Gin's sake."

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, this story is bigger than you think. Review and stuff so I know that at least some people appreciate the amount of work I'm putting into this. Let's try to get more than three reviews this week. (I love you guys, but I wanna know how you guys are feeling. Don't be shy.) Seriously, shout outs to the four people who always review. I would write your names, but I don't know if you would fly with that. Look forward to next week's chapter since…well you'll see.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Achievement unlocked: You stayed long enough to reach a smutty scene.**

If you haven't noticed this is your warning, there is smut ahead, but I feel like most have you seen the M rating and are mature enough to make your own decisions. If you are below eighteen years of age though…well there is nothing I can do about you. You made this decision consciously. Just don't hold me responsible for anything. You better not say anything like "Fox turned me into a pervert."

By the way, remember back in chapter one that I said that this was my first fic? Welp, that means that this is my first smut scene and I'm incredibly shy around sexual content so you could guess how hard this was to write... Maybe that's why it took so long for me to get here…No wait; I like the pace this story is going in. Okay, time to stop procrastinating. Good job if you finished reading me talk this entire time. Enjoy chapter 11…or at least try.

* * *

Chapter 11

Nel didn't tell him why she was the one walking back to his room with him. He waved goodbye to her when he got back to the room okay and she gave him a hug before she took off herself so that she could get to her next class on time.

When he stepped inside the unlocked door of the room he noticed blood all over his roommate's sheets, his desk, and the floor. Dammit Grimmjow, he wasn't exactly the cleanest guy around, but Ichigo always reminded him to keep his stuff in order and to keep the floor clean since it is their shared space. Seriously, cleaning up dry blood is such a pain when living in a college dorm with limited resources.

As Ichigo put his stuff down on the chair in front of his own desk Grimmjow walked in with his hair dripping wet and he was shirtless with a towel draped over his shoulder. It seemed like he was fresh out of the shower.

"Geez, you made a mess." Ichigo pointing at the blood that was dotted all over his side of the room, that's when he noticed the blood bags and remaining blood poured into the trash can.

Ichigo sighed, not startled at all to see bags of blood in a place where he would never expect to see them. "You know those could have been used in a hospital or something right?" Ichigo said as he started to take off his shoes and socks before putting them underneath his bed.

Grimmjow didn't tear his eyes away from Ichigo he just breathed in deeply, taking in Ichigo's scent. After a particular deep breath he just let out a half assed "sorry."

Ichigo cocked his head to the side and put a hand on his waist as he noticed the obvious discomfort in his roommate's face.

"What's wrong?" He asked cautiously, "I'm not really upset you know. Not all blood that's donated gets used since blood has a shelf life. I guess this is what they do with the extras."

Grimmjow grunted. "No, I know you aren't upset." He didn't move from where he stood, not moving any closer or any further from Ichigo. His eyes didn't waver though. He looked at Ichigo with hunger, depression, and what seemed to be the most evident, anxiety.

"Okay, seriously. What's going on?" He asked, but this time getting a bit more impatient. Grimmjow finally managed to tear his eyes off his roommate standing in front of him though it took some effort.

"It's nothing, I'm just hungry." Grimmjow squeezed his eyes shut and tried to control his increasing heart rate.

His senses were going crazy. All his instincts were screaming to feed, but he knew better than to pay attention to them. He had no choice, but to fight them. Vampire instincts were primal and he was always one to follow his instincts. This was an entirely new battle.

He could smell Ichigo's natural scent and blood morphing together and wafting through the air. He could hear him breathing and his heart beating in a steady rhythm. It took everything out of him to just take his eyes off of him and keep them shut.

Vampires can last a long time without blood since the blood immediately gets converted to energy and every time they feed it lasts them for a long time depending on what they drank. The thing that really speeds up a vampire's hunger is fighting and losing their own blood, just like how Grimmjow was recently.

Grimmjow has been getting hurt more than he does on average just from this past week, fighting Gin banged him up quite a bit and running into a room where he wasn't invited didn't exactly help. Seriously, his burns were still healing after what felt like a week and now he was on the brink of starvation. How has he not noticed it until now?

There was no purpose to actually eating human food since it didn't have any nutritional value to them. Most vampires eat it so that they can blend into society and because eating food is freaking awesome.

Something about eating made them feel human again if they have been a human at some point and was turned. Eating was more of a nuisance if you were born as a purebred though since they never experienced what it was like to eat food as a human nor are they used to using the facilities. You don't realize how weird it feels to have food move throughout your body until you lived without needing to go through that.

Ichigo looked at him curiously before looking back at the bags that were in his roommate's trash can. "Umm, you're not exactly convincing me." Ichigo said.

"Those taste terrible, you have no idea." Grimmjow said. "I guess I'm just craving the blood of something living." He cracked one eye open to look over at Ichigo silently waiting for him to figure out what he was implying. It didn't take too long as his eyes grew when he caught on.

"Oh no, I kinda have a bad experience with vampire bites." Ichigo said as a response raising his hands defensively.

Grimmjow gripped his hands into tight fists, his nails leaving marks on the palms of his hands. He was fighting against every instinct in his body to just attack the boy standing in front of him. At this rate he was going to go insane.

"Please, I won't lose control like last time." Grimmjow pleaded. "I have experience. I was in a frenzy state last time. Please, give me another chance." He never asked someone so politely for anything. He never felt like he needed something so much in his entire life and he wouldn't function without it. Ichigo's scent seemed to have poisoned his mind. He let go of his pride so easily in just hopes for being allowed to have a drink.

Ichigo sighed and scratched his head as he considered Grimmjow's request. "Fine, but if I say stop at any point you better listen."

Grimmjow's eyes widened, looking at Ichigo in surprise. His eyes practically shined in satisfaction and relief as he walked over to him and pulled his shirt over his head.

"Whoa wait. Why do you need to take my shirt off this time?" Ichigo asked blushing bright red, already expecting what the answer was going to be. Grimmjow lightly gripped his hips and pulled him closer, "also, why this?" He turned even brighter making his skin turn hotter under Grimmjow's touch which only made his blood seem even more appealing.

Grimmjow took another deep breath, breathing in his scent once again, his eyes turned wild again if only for a second before they turned back to their original state as he dropped the towel that was on his shoulder on the floor next to Ichigo's discarded shirt. "So if the blood drips it doesn't stain your clothes. As for me holding onto you, if you move around too much you might get seriously hurt. This is to make sure you don't go anywhere."

Ichigo looked at him somewhat amazed that he gave him a proper reason. Every time Grimmjow did something that was a bit more on the nose it always confused Ichigo. Renji brought up his suspicions about Grimmjow liking him, but there was no way Ichigo was going to believe him. Seriously, what did he have to offer that Grimmjow would actually find attractive.

Ichigo didn't know why thinking like that made him so depressed. There was a reason why Grimmjow cuddled up with him in the infirmary and a reason why he kissed him even though there were better ways to get his point across. Grimmjow interfered with Ichigo's thoughts by adding on the last reason, "also fan service." Goddammit.

Even with the reasons and the running joke aside Grimmjow didn't want to tell Ichigo the hidden reason why he was acting all intimate with him. Even though he was hungry there was no way he was going to pass up an opportunity to touch Ichigo's bare skin. Yes, his blood was top priority, but he would regret not taking advantage of the situation.

He held his roommate closer to him so that their chests were touching before he leaned over slowly as to not accidentally hurt the person he was holding on to and gently bit his neck.

Ichigo hardly felt his fangs sink in, but he could feel his blood getting drawn out of him like water flowing out of a broken dam. He felt light headed, his breath hitched in his throat as blood rushed through the holes on his neck and the rest of his blood started to flow downwards, wait what? His entire body started to flush against Grimmjow as he started to feel really good for a reason that was completely lost to him.

Grimmjow wrapped his arms around him in a tighter embrace so that he could have a better angle on his neck causing Ichigo to moan. Grimmjow's lips formed a smile loving the taste of Ichigo as well as the sounds that found their way out of him. What excited him the most was the fact that those sounds were coming because of him. He wanted to hear more.

Grimmjow felt Ichigo's hard member against his leg. It was a great confidence booster and it was to be expected. Vampire bites the didn't contain venom tended to have that effect on humans, and well, basically anything that was living. That didn't stop Grimmjow from getting excited himself though.

Grimmjow's eyes darkened and released Ichigo's neck from his jaw giving a tender lick to the two holes that were now present on his neck, catching the blood droplets that were flowing down like rain on a windowpane leaving a wet trail down his roommate's neck. Grimmjow loosened his grip on Ichigo, but still kept a firm grip on his hips and looked at him with predatory eyes.

Ichigo could only gulp when he saw Grimmjow's dark eyes and blood trickling down his chin, his eyes were half-lidded and he was breathing deeply. It wasn't the same expression that Grimmjow usually wore. Instead of his usual angry or smug look, there was lust and longing.

Grimmjow wanted to feel more of Ichigo and he could barely contain his desire. He pounced at him crashing his lips into Ichigo's as he violently licked and nipped at it demanding entrance. He knew that his animalistic instincts were the thing that was acting for him, but he didn't care. He liked what he was doing and he didn't have time for logic.

Ichigo's mind was too muddled to think coherent thoughts so he just did what felt right at that moment without thinking. His instincts seemed to like what was going on so it granted Grimmjow entrance allowing his tongue to enter. Ichigo tasted a hint of his own blood in Grimmjow's mouth as the other explored his mouth hungrily, mapping out every part of it before sucking on Ichigo's tongue with his own drawing out another moan from him that was muffled by his own mouth.

He released Ichigo's lips, nipping at it affectionately, and a trail of their combined saliva traveled down his face watering down the blood that was on his chin. Grimmjow fixed his eyes on him again "Ichigo" he whispered.

Ichigo watched as his eyes roamed his body, making him turn bright red. He looked away shyly wiping away the trail of saliva and blood that was left from Grimmjow with the back of his hand. "Let me…please…" Grimmjow pleaded.

People have looked at Ichigo like that before, but never with the same intensity that was present now. The amount of desire on his face was something he has never seen before not even from his ex-girlfriends. For some reason words wouldn't come out of his mouth.

He was confused; he wanted to know what was going on and how this was even happening. He would usually refuse at this moment, but he could feel himself lightly nod. He didn't even feel that ashamed for agreeing to do this kind of stuff with a guy.

Grimmjow smiled and kissed his forehead and then his cheek before pushing him down on his bed. He quickly roamed Ichigo's bare stomach with the palms of his hands as his lips started to suck on his neck and chest leaving more hickeys then the one that was already present before drifting southward and capturing one of Ichigo's nipples in his mouth.

"Shit…" Ichigo moaned as he wrapped his arms around Grimmjow and dug his fingernails into his back. This got an approving grunt from Grimmjow who was distracting himself with Ichigo's chest. Grimmjow held his nipple in his mouth sucked and pulled on it while he rubbed the other with his hand before pinching it making Ichigo grasp.

Grimmjow's own member was now starting to bother him and he couldn't stop himself from grinding his lower half against Ichigo's own. Ichigo's eyes clenched shut at the sudden friction and bit down on his own lips in an effort to suppress his moans. He thrusted his hips upwards to try to get more friction which Grimmjow happily gave him.

He let go of Ichigo's nipples moving back to his neck where he nuzzled his face taking another deep breath of Ichigo's scent before biting down on the other side of it, leaving two more holes. He started lapping at it eagerly as Ichigo felt shivers run down his spine as more pressure started to build up in his stomach.

Ichigo's blood really was the best. He couldn't quiet place a description on what his blood tasted like, but he wouldn't be able to believe that anyone has better tasting blood then he does. Ichigo shivered at the feeling of Grimmjow's tongue on his neck again. Ichigo had no idea why getting bitten didn't hurt him anymore, but rather it felt amazing. Grimmjow's lips on his sensitive neck also added to the amount of pleasure that he never experienced before.

Grimmjow kissed his neck and travelled southwards leaving a trail of burning kisses as he traveled feeling his own body heat up against Ichigo's flushed skin. He finally reached Ichigo's jeans he blinked twice before he moved his hands and quickly undid the button and dragged down the zipper.

Ichigo's breath hitched in his throat not expecting that this surprise hook up was going to go that far, but surprisingly he was okay with it and didn't protest. Ichigo lifted his hips up and allowed Grimmjow to pull them off before throwing them across the room.

He looked down at Ichigo who was now a panting, blushing mess and he could feel his appendage twitch in excitement and anticipation from the sight that was laid out before him. He did away with his own pants that were starting to become agitating so that both of their lower halves were bare. Ichigo's line of sight descended from Grimmjow's eyes to his previously wrapped package. Grimmjow laughed at the look on his face.

"May I?" He asked reaching down and brushing his hand over Ichigo's legs, not proceeding without Ichigo giving him the okay no matter how hard it was for him to contain his urges. Ichigo looked up before nodding again slowly feeling his face heat up again before he quickly turned his head away and broke eye contact.

Grimmjow chuckled and gave Ichigo a chaste kiss on the lips before he wrapped his hand around the human's erection causing his entire body to shake. Grimmjow's hand was calloused probably because of all the fights he was in, but the feeling of a hand that wasn't his own had a different feeling then what he was used to.

He quickly threw his arm into his mouth and bit down on it to stifle the moan that almost burst out of him. Grimmjow grabbed onto Ichigo's arm in his other hand. "I want to hear you, Ichigo" Grimmjow said hungrily looking at Ichigo as if he was ready to devour him.

Ichigo unclenched his jaw allowing his arm to fall back down to the bed. For someone who was able to resist Grimmjow's magic before he was now completely under his spell. He wouldn't usually let Grimmjow have what he wanted, but now that they were in this situation it seemed that he didn't even care that his pride was completely forgotten about.

Grimmjow started to slowly move his hand up and down Ichigo's member covering it in precum. Ichigo gripped the bed sheets, panting at the contact and thrusted upwards urging Grimmjow to pick up the pace. He ignored him keeping the same rhythm he had before, that was before Ichigo sat up and grabbed a hold of the other's member and started to jerk him off. Grimmjow moaned in response. He didn't even realize how hard his own appendage has become until it was in Ichigo's hand. He didn't expect the orangette to turn the tables and take care of him. It seriously turned Grimmjow on making his member twitch in interest.

He didn't even bother teasing him. He knew that if he took his dear sweet time then Grimmjow wouldn't pick up the pace either. He looked up at Grimmjow with hardened eyes as if he was challenging him sparking Grimmjow's competitive spirit, it excited him even more. He smirked and started to move faster, his pace matching Ichigo's. He twirled his thumb around the tip spreading even more precum and Ichigo yelped in response biting down on his lips again.

Grimmjow did everything he could to prevent himself from jerking upwards into Ichigo's hand. He has never been so excited in his entire life, and that was saying something. He could feel the pressure build up in his pelvis, but there was no way he was going to let himself cum before Ichigo does.

He leaned over and sucked on Ichigo's neck making him gasp and grip his hair. Ichigo's member twitched more than it already was. It would seem that he was close too. He took Ichigo's hand and tentatively off his dick. Ichigo looked up at him in confusion, but Grimmjow gave him a reassuring smile wrapping Ichigo's arm around his back and placed him back down on the bed before kissing him viciously placing one hand on his arm to hold him steady as he wrapped his other hand around both of their weeping members and started to take care of both of them. A new rush of pleasure rushing through them tearing moans out of their throats in unison.

Ichigo moved his hips as Grimmjow pumped them both, but wasn't able to keep the rhythm as he started to have spasms of pleasure. Wet noises and heavy breathing filled the room, but they were too focused on the pleasure and their hearts pounding to care if they could be heard.

Grimmjow used their collective precum to make it easier to slide across one another. Grimmjow leaned more to Ichigo's right to try and get a better angle, which seemed to have worked as Ichigo nearly cried out at the new position as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Ichigo," Grimmjow whispered in a husky voice when he heard Ichigo's voice. Ichigo's back arched as his body had another spasm. Ichigo's panted, trying to take in large amounts of air in short breaths. Ichigo's face twisted in bliss as he spilled his seed all over both of their stomachs his mouth hung open desperately bringing oxygen into his lungs as his body cooled down.

He finally opened his hazy brown eyes after having had them clenched shut. He looked up at Grimmjow who was still stroking him so that he could ride out the pleasure to the fullest. Grimmjow then grunted and spilled his own seed along with Ichigo's before he slumped down and laid on top of him as he rode out his own wave of pleasure. He wrapped his arms around Ichigo hugging the human beneath him.

"I love you, Ichigo." He said wrapping his arms even tighter around him. He nestled his face in his neck. Grimmjow could feel Ichigo flinch underneath him. Ichigo's face now looked like he has seen a ghost as he was forced to accept reality. It didn't last too long until his face started to heat up again right after his body cooled down making it look like he went to the beach without putting on sunscreen.

"I n-need to take a shower." Ichigo stuttered pushing the larger man off of him and quickly got off the bed, grabbing his shower stuff and towel wiping off the evidence of what just happened on his chest before wrapping the towel around his waist and practically sprinting to the communal bathroom.

Grimmjow turned himself over so that he can lie down on his back. He groaned and put his arms over his head. What did he just do? Ichigo was back to his senses there was no way that he would have done that in his sane mind.

Also what was he thinking saying that? There was no way that Ichigo wouldn't feel awkward after hearing that. Yes, guys say that all the time when they feel that good, but they were finished. The journey was over. He said it at the time where it actually might have meant something. What did he expect to happen? Ichigo to say okay and they lived happily ever after?

He knew Ichigo was more shy then that and it was going to take a while for Ichigo to actually give an appropriate response. He mostly agreed to become part of his clan…did he? Becoming his mate is a completely different subject though. It was in Grimmjow's original plan to make him his mate, Aizen even spelled it out, but that didn't mean that it was actually going to happen. At least Ichigo knew for sure how he felt so he can actually put some thought into it now.

* * *

Ichigo practically ran to the showers. He needed to cool off and fast. All he was doing was letting Grimmjow drink his blood. How did this happen? How could he let this happen? The feeling of blood being drawn was a new feeling, but he thought he had more self-control then that.

Renji said that he thought Grimmjow liked him, but he only took what he said with a grain of salt. He didn't actually expect it to be true. Renji said that he should give him a chance, but Ichigo thought that even if it was true he wouldn't actually give him that chance. He's never been attracted to guys before, heck he was never really attracted to girls either, but he has hooked up with them and told himself that that he may eventually spark feelings for them. He never got those sparks nor did he actually desire going all the way with them so he broke things off with every girl he tried dating and fooled around with.

This time was something that he's never felt before, he never desired wanting to do something with someone so badly before. It only started dawning on him now that it should be weird that he was so lustful towards a guy, something he never even considered before. He wasn't opposed to the idea, but he wasn't interest in trying it with guys because he didn't think sparks would fly even if he tried it. Boy was he wrong.

He would have never thought that he would be attracted to a vampire either. Wasn't that a bit dangerous? Also that said vampire was his freaking roommate Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Last week Ichigo thought of him as a horny stalker that was potentially dangerous. Just now he was under him and he liked it.

Ichigo stepped into the shower and turned the nobs letting the water hit his face like warm rain as he relaxed his muscles. He rubbed his chest, where his and his roommate's evidence was before he wiped it off and his face heated up when he remembered what happened just minutes ago.

He never thought he would let himself get feelings like that for his roommate. It's true that he may have gotten a tingly feeling for him in the infirmary, but he thought that was only because he saved his life.

He lathered his body up with suds in an effort to try and get rid of any sweat, blood, saliva, and the unspeakable off his body, but most of all he was trying to scrape off the shame. Ichigo looked down at all the newly formed love marks on his body, as if the stupid hickey on his neck wasn't enough.

Grimmjow really went to town on him and he couldn't believe that he actually allowed him and even enjoyed it. He thought back to Grimmjow's husky voice whispering his name and a blush appeared on his face. Shit, was Renji right this time? This was actually happening.

* * *

Grimmjow was lying in his own bed, the semen was wiped off his chest, but he didn't want to bother with another shower, and he didn't exactly want to have that talk with Ichigo in a public place like the hall bathroom. He was wearing sweatpants and stared at the door, waiting for Ichigo to walk through it.

He wanted to talk to him about what he said. He didn't want to be the one to confess first, but plans change and at that moment it felt right. He knew that Ichigo wasn't going to confess his feelings even to himself; he realized that because he was usually the same way. Ichigo had to have a near death experience for Grimmjow to realize how he felt about him.

The door to their room clicked open. Grimmjow sat up quickly about to spew out one of the excuses that he was rehearsing in his head, but before he could say anything. Ichigo spoke first.

"Fine," Ichigo said. Gimmjow looked at him, puzzled. "I can't believe I am saying this, but we can try this 'together thing.'" Grimmjow looked at him with an astonished look. He must have been hearing things. There is no way that Ichigo would accept his confession so quickly.

"You better let me back out if I want to though. I've never dated a guy before, much less dated a vampire." Ichigo said, turning his head to the side so he didn't have to see the guy he was just accepting. He was too embarrassed.

A warm feeling flooded Grimmjow's chest as a smile broke out on his face, a genuine smile, one that Ichigo has never seen before as Grimmjow got up from the bed and wrapped his arms around Ichigo's now clothed body and pressed a gentle kiss on the top of his head that was covered in wet hair from his shower before he bent down and kissed him on the lips.

Ichigo could feel Grimmjow smiling as they kissed, and Ichigo couldn't help but smile back slightly, his face still red. He was unexpectedly happy for someone who just told himself that he was willing to only try it to see how it feels, but for some reason it felt right and that he belonged.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll be hiding in the corner now as I try to reign back in my inner demons. Do me a favor and review. If you don't know what to say give me some pointers or some reference stuff so I can teach myself how to write...that better. If you want to be really nice and make me feel special you can even write something encouraging.**

 **I'm so sorry for the confusion on upload for this chapter. I tried to post it through the FanFiction app on my iPhone... don't upload on the FanFiction app on your iPhone. It messes everything up and it's hard to use. Please forgive me for all the reuploads.**


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for the hiatus, but one week wasn't too bad, right? Please say right. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I'm getting some great responses which are great since I never really was good at fluff. Thanks for reviewing guys. I wish I could hear more from you guys though, but I'm not complaining since I'm writing mostly for myself. Seriously it hurt me to not be able to write more than it hurt you guys.

* * *

Chapter 12

Later that night Renji kept on glancing back and forth between Ichigo and Grimmjow with a smile plastered across his face. Ichigo sighed, immediately regretting asking to see him before their friends arrived for dinner. Grimmjow obviously tagging along as a sense of duty and to make sure nothing happens to Ichigo again.

Renji wasn't exactly a vampire yet so there was no chance that he could protect Ichigo. Even if he became a vampire there was no way that he would be able to trust him with the task considering he would still be getting used to his new strength and body.

He seriously didn't want to leave anyone alone with Ichigo either. Yeah it was his best friend and they didn't have any interest before, but he couldn't trust him to be safe with him alone. Seriously, why did this guy visit him so much in the hospital? It made it so hard for him to cuddle up with Ichigo with him watching him.

"You two are together now aren't you?" Renji said examining Ichigo's uncomfortable expression and Grimmjow's line of sight being on Ichigo with a smirk on his face, clearly enjoying the view. Ichigo looked so damn cute when he was being shy but trying to hide it.

"How the hell did you figure that out?" Ichigo said blushing at Renji's response. Renji's smile grew even larger and threatened to tear apart his cheeks. Ichigo wasn't surprised that Renji found out, rather he was more curious. Music, sports, and romance are the only thing Renji really excelled at.

"You are too obvious. I could tell as soon as I saw you two come into the room together." Renji laughed. "I was almost worried that I missed the wedding."

Grimmjow laughed and patted the flushed Ichigo on the back getting a growl as a response. Ichigo was too busy thinking back to how they were acting when they walked in.

They weren't doing anything coupley or flirty. Well, Grimmjow was, but that was nothing really new so how was Renji able to differentiate between before and now? Maybe it was because he was acting less annoyed then he usually did or maybe it was because he tried too hard to hide it. "Not to mention the 'best friend can tell they have had sex' cliché." Renji added.

Grimmjow couldn't stop himself from howling, small tears forming at the corners of his eyes that were clenched shut and he banged on the table to try and compose himself. Ichigo looked at him in desperation before smacking his maniacally laughing roommate/boyfriend in the stomach.

"We didn't have sex. Don't encourage him for your own amusement." Ichigo hissed, rubbing his slightly stinging hand. He seriously needed to learn how to restrain himself from jumping to violence when he is dealing with him, stupid vampire, but it seemed to have calmed him down.

Renji turned to Grimmjow. "Also vamp-uhh I mean-your kind tends to not heal as easily when it comes from burns inflicted by those kinds of means and your burns practically look completely healed. You totally took a drink directly from Ichigo. The bite marks on his neck tells that much and usually direct drinking leads to something else."

Grimmjow stayed quiet as Renji predicted the situation. He was scary good; maybe he wasn't such an idiot after all. It was silent for a bit with Renji looking from one to the other before sighing. "I know it's Ichigo's job to seek my approval, so check there, and it's yours to try to make me like you, but you didn't exactly try there I'll give it a pass though. I've never been the best judge of character; that was always Ichigo's skill." Renji fixed his gaze on Grimmjow. "I hope you realized how lucky you are since he knows how much of an asshole you can be."

Ichigo glared at him noticing that he left out a detail which he probably chose to forget. "Um Renji, you were the one that told me to give him a try." Ichigo observed, what the hell was this guy thinking?

Renji chuckled nervously, Ichigo totally blew his cover, "yeah, so much for me trying to be the protective friend."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at him. His best friend was totally just trying to have fun with this entire exchange. It was too embarrassing for him, but it seemed that Renji was enjoying himself since he wasn't the victim. "When have you ever been the protective friend? You were always the one that tried to set me up with girls."

Grimmjow clicked his tongue out of nowhere, suddenly feeling frustrated at every girl Ichigo has ever seen even though he has never met them, so this was jealousy. It was an emotion that he has forgotten about. Ichigo talking and dating girls was all because of this guy. He knew that Ichigo considered himself more on the straight side before agreeing to go out with him, but he couldn't help but feel possessive over every single thing that was Ichigo.

"Can I at least say 'break his heart and I'll break you?'?" Renji asked raising his finger asking for that one favor.

"You can say it, but you know that it isn't exactly possible." Grimmjow said unamused to the human that was poking fun at him. "And also I don't think you have to worry about that." He wrapped his arm around Ichigo pulling him closer causing Ichigo to turn bright red.

He knew he liked Ichigo, and it was more likely that he would be the one to break his heart unintentionally. Even if he did he couldn't see himself letting him go. It sounded messed up, heck it was messed up, but if Ichigo refused to continue dating him he was still going to make Ichigo join his clan and eventually win him back. He just couldn't imagine a life without him even though he has been living without him for the majority of his life.

Yes, Ichigo said that he better let him go if he wanted to back down from this, but he really didn't want to give up just like that. He had all eternity to win him over and there was no way he was going to have anyone else have him. Ichigo was his, dammit.

"Anyway we should cut this conversation short." Renji said gesturing towards the door at the entrance of the dining hall. Shuuhei walked in. He was a bit earlier than planned, but they still had a bit of time since he still needed to get his food.

It didn't take long for Uryu and Orihime to walk through the doors as well. Izuru said that he had some work to do so he was locking himself in the library so he could be more productive in studying for his upcoming test. He said he would eat later, but it was still weird to see Shuuhei come in without his best friend.

"Yeah, this is a little too much girl talk for three guys to have." Grimmjow said in a low voice. A little salty that Renji pressured Ichigo to date others even though because of him that he was even given a chance.

Shuuhei slipped into a seat next to Renji with a plate full of crappy cafeteria food. "Ichigo" he said before his tone took on a more questioning tone "and Grimmjow, right? I haven't seen you two in ages. Where have you been?"

Grimmjow and Ichigo looked at each other. Grimmjow shrugged and Ichigo faced forward. "We were sick, we're fine now. Don't think too much of it."

It's common if one roommate gets sick the other would usually get sick too so it was an appropriate alibi, but if it was something small like a common cold then it wouldn't excuse them from not going out.

Shuuhei didn't look too convinced, but he didn't seem to care enough that Ichigo waved him off. Orihime and Uryu walked over as well. Uryu sat down next to Shuuhei and Orihime walked around to give Ichigo a hug. "Kurosaki-kun, long time no see."

Ichigo tensed up under her touch. He wasn't ready for the flirtatious movement. He looked over at Uryu for help, but he just looked at him like he didn't know what to do with a little frustration hidden behind his glasses. Orihime flirting with Ichigo was more painful for him then it was for Ichigo.

Grimmjow glared at the busty girl that decided to trap his Ichigo in her arms. He could see the blush on her face like she was embarrassed to do this herself. There wasn't a lot of time before the end of the program though so if she was planning to confess she had to do it quickly. Even though he and Ichigo were together and he knew that Ichigo would reject her either way just thinking about her confessing to him made his blood boil. Okay, it was official. Jealousy sucked.

The night proceeded normally. Grimmjow barely talked, but watched every little flirt Orihime made towards his new boyfriend. It was painful to him and it even looked painful to Ichigo who was usually oblivious to flirting, but he couldn't help noticing that she was unknowingly embarrassing herself.

It was cringe worthy. Renji couldn't take his eyes off and neither could Uryu, who also seemed to have figured out that there was totally something between Grimmjow and Ichigo. It amused him a little, but there was still the cringe worthy fact that his crush was flirting with a guy who was in a homosexual relationship. The only ones who haven't seemed to notice were Orihime and Shuuhei.

Shuuhei didn't notice the signs since he was too preoccupied with his phone, checking to see if Izuru checked his text or responded. He kept on getting discouraged that his text wasn't even opened even though he knew that he was studying. He knew that whenever Izuru focused on something it was hard to tear his attention away from it.

Uryu on the other hand received a text and his eyes grew for only a second before he placed his phone face down after he quickly shot a reply to whoever the sender was. His dark eyes that hid behind glasses stayed dead, he folded his hands in front of his face, his elbows leaning against the table and he stayed quiet for the rest of dinner.

His voice wasn't missed too much since he never really was one for talking rather than observing. He didn't glare at Grimmjow or try to restrain Orihime from flirting stupidly. He didn't even seem to care anymore. It was a sign that something difficult was happening on his end, but no one seemed to pick it up which he was grateful for since he just wanted to keep the peace. He just sat there and stared ahead of him, looking antsy as if he wanted dinner to finish soon.

After dinner and they all left Uryu said that he needed to have a private talk with Shuuhei for a second. Uryu requesting that talk seemed to be the most that he said that entire night though. Orihime nodded before agreeing to head back to their dorm herself, curious on why each of the friend group was now having private talks after dinner. Ichigo, Grimmjow and Renji just shrugged it off and went to their own dorms, Renji traveling alone while Ichigo and Grimmjow traveled together.

* * *

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Ichigo and Grimmjow got to their room to find an envelope that was slipped under the crack of their door. Grimmjow picked it up and opened it, he took out a piece of paper and a small photo slipped out landing on the floor facing downwards.

He read the note; ignoring Ichigo's who called out to him to let him see too. Grimmjow held his hand up to sign that he needed him to keep quiet so that he could finish reading without him distracting him. His eyebrows crinkled up in anger and he gripped the note tightly. He picked the photo up off the ground, looked at it for a second before putting it in his pocket and throwing himself on his bed and covering his face with his arms.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked approaching the bed where Grimmjow seemed to be fuming from.

"You don't want to know." Grimmjow said his voice laced with anger and frustration that wasn't directed at him.

"What the fuck? If it was slid under the door I think it is meant for the both of us. Let me see it." Ichigo said reaching for the paper that was in his hand before the blue-haired vampire turned over so that his back was facing towards him with the crumpled up piece of paper in his hand, holding it out of reach.

"Goddammit, Grimmjow." Ichigo cursed before reaching into Grimmjow's jacket pocket to pull out the photo that he was hiding from him. Grimmjow immediately turned over to try and stop him, but Ichigo was too quick and stepped out of the way.

He flipped it over and fury, fear, and shock immediately washed over his face. His skin was pale like he had his soul sucked out of him, but his brows knit together and scrunched up his forehead more then it usually was as he examined the photo in his hands.

"What the fuck is this?" He shouted. "Grimmjow, give me the paper." He clutched the photo between his pointer finger and thumb, squeezing hard, causing it to bend a little.

Grimmjow looked over and his heart clenched at the sight of the orange-haired boy. His usual calm amber eyes practically shined golden as his expression held pure rage. He was even angrier then Grimmjow felt. He was trying to suppress the anger for Ichigo's sake, but it looked like he more angry then scared. That picture really lit a flame inside of him and if he didn't fully understand what was going on things may get dangerous.

"Look, all it really says is 'join us or else this will happen to him.'" Grimmjow said holding up the crumpled up note. "It was intended for me and it was meant to scare you."

When Grimmjow saw the note he knew what to expect from the photo, but he didn't expect it to be someone he knew though. All he wanted was to keep Ichigo safe and it would have been nice for his sanity and easier to keep him from doing something crazy if he hasn't seen the photo.

"As scary as that is that doesn't mean you hide this from me." Ichigo said holding up the photo. The photo was dark, but you can still make out what was on it. It was a photo of a bloody unconscious body, it was Izuru.

"He got hurt because of me." Ichigo said sternly, bringing his hands up to grip his spikey orange hair and he clenched his eyes tightly.

"It isn't your fault." Grimmjow barked at him, his anger sparking again. The last thing he wanted was for Ichigo to get discouraged.

Ichigo let his hands drop from his head and let them hang by his side, he faced towards the floor, expression calmer, and his eyes weren't clenched shut anymore rather they were filled with sorrow. "No, I understand why you didn't want me to see this. You had good intensions."

Grimmjow looked at the now surprisingly calm Ichigo, suddenly confused. "Ichigo?" He asked turning over and sitting up on his bed.

"You don't want me to run off because we both know who did this and I'm just a powerless human." Ichigo said. He looked up; determination has replaced any anger and sorrow on his face. "I'm not going to run though."

Grimmjow thought he should be relieved to hear Ichigo say this, but the way he said it wasn't reassuring. Even though Ichigo sounded calm he could feel an aura around him that made him unsure whether he wanted Ichigo to stay close to him or run away as far as possible.

"Grimmjow, I need you to turn me." Ichigo said grabbing a hold of the bottom of his shirt, getting ready to pull it off himself.

Grimmjow was surprised. He didn't expect Ichigo would give up on his humanity just for the sake of protecting his friends. He should be happy that they were making progress, but for the first time ever he put his morals before his desire.

"No." Grimmjow said plainly grabbing a hold of his hands to stop him from taking his shirt off, which is something he never thought he would do.

"What?" Ichigo asked surprised. He seriously thought he would get a different answer.

"I know why you want me to turn you, but I'm not going to let you fight. It's too dangerous." Grimmjow growled. "You have no idea how hard it is going to be. You think that there is only one enemy, Ichigo. It's way more than that. I don't want to see you in danger so there is no way I'm going to intentionally let you into it."

"Didn't you want to change me?" Ichigo protested. "I don't think I'll want to be a vampire after all of this."

"If that's the case then so be it. There is no going back once you turn so I want to turn you when you know that you won't regret it and when you aren't going to throw yourself at danger headfirst. After all this shit I'll just have to convince you again." Grimmjow said.

Grimmjow wanted to turn him, he really did, but he knew that if he did then Ichigo was just going to put himself in danger before he even learns how to use his powers and strength. It would be like letting a level one hero fight the final boss right at the start of the game. He doesn't know what he's up against.

"I guess you are right." Ichigo said a bit disappointed. He hated feeling useless and he couldn't help but feel responsible for what happened as well. Grimmjow can repeat that it wasn't his fault over and over, but there was no way he would believe him.

If Grimmjow was the one doing all the fighting as the hero in the story and Aizen was the villain then where did he stand in all of this? Oh yeah, he was the trophy in the end game. He didn't want that role, but it seemed like it was the one being forced on him since the position that he wanted, the NPC that had nothing to do with this, wasn't exactly an option.

Ichigo's phone buzzed signifying that he got a text. He checked it and stared at it for a long time as if it were a long message. As he reached the end of the message his chest deflated in a sigh of relief.

"The hunters found him and he's still alive." Ichigo said. "Uryu said that he's stable and that they are allowing visitors though he is unconscious.

Grimmjow copied Ichigo's expression. He was glad for him. He didn't know Izuru well enough to be worried about him, but he was glad to see that Ichigo was okay. "I guess that means that we're going to go see him." Grimmjow said getting up to follow his roommate that already started to head towards the door.

He didn't think they should go since he knew that it might freak Ichigo out, but he knew that Ichigo would be even more upset if he didn't go to see him his self. Grimmjow decided that when Ichigo needed emotional support then he would be there and he believed that he would be able to protect him.

* * *

They arrived at health services and was permitted to enter the back after they said that they were there to visit Izuru Kira. They were lead to a room that was opposite of the one that Ichigo stayed in when he was hospitalized.

Ichigo pulled back the curtains and was surprised to see Shuuhei there sitting by the bed where Izuru laid unconscious. An IV was attached to his arm that was probably filled with artificial hydration, nutrition, and holy water. Uryu was at the other end of the room looking through some files with a grim expression on his face.

"We found him a little late, but we were able to save his humanity." Uryu said. "He was very close to going into a mania. If he managed to attack a human in that state then we may have had to kill him."

Shuuhei squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. "Don't talk like I'm not here, dammit." He cursed. He was squeezing his hand, and letting his flinger nails leave marks on his skin. Ichigo couldn't imagine the agony he was going through. It was probably something similar to what Grimmjow and Renji were going through when he was in Izuru's place.

Shuuhei sounded upset despite the fact that he was trying to replace it with anger. Anyone would get upset if their best friend that they left alone for one second got seriously hurt.

"I'm sorry, Shuuhei." Uryu said, "but it's the truth. Be grateful that it didn't happen. He didn't turn into a ghoul, but the longer he goes uncured from the vampire venom then the longer it will take for him to wake up and he was close."

Shuuhei turned his attention back to his sleeping friend. He stared at his unconscious face that didn't even flinch from all the noise. Ichigo sat beside him while Grimmjow stayed by the counter with Uryu, feeling that he had no right to crowd the bed since he didn't feel close to the blond.

"Since when did this guy know about vampires?" Grimmjow asked quietly nodding his head in the direction of the tattooed guy sitting by the bed.

"Not until now." Uryu admitted. "I learned about Izuru during dinner and I told him after. I needed to give him the run down on what happened. I broke the rules, but I found it necessary."

Shuuhei gripped his friends hand in his lightly. The edges of his eyes were stained red like he was holding in tears the entire time. He had every right to. His best friend is in a coma for who knows how long and he was given a reality shattering explanation and he had no choice but to just accept it. Shuuhei looked up, eyes filled with resolve.

"Uryu, how do I become a hunter?" He asked.

All their eyes shot towards him when they heard the ridiculous request. The room went silent. Grimmjow had to bite down on his lips to try to stifle any insulting response that may have come out of him. Ichigo was the first to break the silence. "Wait, is that possible?"

Uryu adjusted his glasses and walked over to Shuuhei. "Are you sure?" He asked. Wait it was that easy?

"Yeah, I don't want anything like this to happening to anyone else." Shuuhei said. "There is no way I can just let something like this slide."

Uryu nodded his head seeing that he was serious about his decision. "It'll be tough and you won't be able to master it in a day." Uryu said. "You won't be able to master the arts of hunting by the end of the month so if your goal is revenge then you better drop it."

"I don't care about revenge." He said. "Izuru would get upset if I decided to go down that path. He was always the kind of person that condoned forgiveness even if they really should get what they deserve."

Uryu nodded his head, sensing that he was serious about this. He unclipped a note that was attached to the clipboard he was just looking at and handed him a small white and blue business card. "I don't necessarily like this guy, but give him a call and he'll set you up with a teacher."

Shuuhei took it and immediately and left the room to give the number on the card a call, already wanting to take action and take the first steps to become a hunter while his foot was still in the door.

Ichigo stared at Uryu in awe; he had no idea that becoming a hunter was that easy. If Uryu was a human then it might be possible for other humans to become hunters as well. He didn't know too much about Uryu so he never really thought about it, but now maybe…

"Hey Uryu, can I have one of those cards too?" Ichigo asked.

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow asked as soon as the question left his boyfriend's lips. "Oh hell no, just because I turned you down doesn't mean you are going to find an alternative way to get your hands dirty."

Uryu looked from one to the other and sighed, deciding that it was best not to ask what they were talking about and just answer the question. "No Ichigo, you've been marked. It's against the rules to recruit people who are marked by vampires at least in this school. It's for your own good since if you do happen to turn into a vampire it'll be very hard for you to join a clan because they would distrust you and other hunters may try to take you out." Uryu explained. "There are too many risks and I'm not going to allow you to make decisions without knowing the consequences."

"Dammit." Ichigo cursed.

"I'm going to regret asking this, but why do you suddenly want to become a hunter?" Uryu asked. It would have made sense that he would have asked when he woke up from his own coma, because he would have wanted to protect himself. Asking now though was a bit late.

Ichigo handed him a piece of crumpled up paper and handed him the photo. Grimmjow immediately held his forehead when he saw that his boyfriend made a decision to tell the freaking hunter what they were dealing with. All he wanted was privacy. He didn't need any damn hunters to know what they were going through. He was strong enough to take care of himself and Ichigo without any help from a freaking hunter. Ichigo may be all for the power of friendship, but that is not how he wanted to play it.

Uryu read the note and sighed. "Ichigo, after seeing this I'm even more against you turning into a hunter. I don't want you putting yourself in danger."

Ichigo clicked his tongue; he really was forced to play the trophy wasn't he? "You have on the other hand convinced me to let you in on another piece of information. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I know who attacked Izuru."

This got both Ichigo's and Grimmjow's attention. "She's dangerous so I don't think you guys should fight her especially since I don't condone fighting on campus." Uryu said. "She definitely attacked Izuru to invoke anger though. She shed a lot of blood so that the mania would consume him faster and instead of drinking the blood like most vampires she left huge gash marks all over him and left the blood untouched.

"I'm sorry, but I've heard this multiple times already. What exactly is this mania?" Ichigo interrupted. He could guess what it was because he knew what the word meant, but he really wasn't sure what it was in this context. It seemed like information that he seriously needed to know.

Grimmjow gripped his hair and Uryu fixed his eyes on Grimmjow with a look that basically asked 'are you serious?' Grimmjow just shrugged and looked towards Ichigo. Uryu rolled his eyes and followed his example, facing towards Ichigo.

"I'm surprised he hasn't taught you how vampirism works yet. He seriously needs to get his priorities straight. Looks like I'm going to have to teach you." Uryu said sighing.

He had to have this talk with Shuuhei just before they came in and he really didn't want to have the same conversation again. "You see, turning someone into a vampire is more complicated than just injecting them with the vampire venom. There are different stages. The first stage is when the venom was injected, it's incredibly painful and it makes the one bitten practically unable to move. Ichigo, you have experienced this phase before."

Ichigo remembered back to when he was bitten by Aizen. Yeah, that was rough. He's never been in so much pain before and thinking that he was willing to go through it right now if it allowed him to become strong enough to be of some help eluded even him.

"The second stage branches off though; the one bitten would need to drink the blood of a vampire. It doesn't matter whether it is the blood of the vampire that bit him or not as long as it is vampire blood. If he drinks the blood of a vampire after being injected he becomes a vampire, non-pure bred of course. On the other hand if the venom sits for too long without getting any vampire blood the pain will eventually wear off and get replaced with hunger. This is the mania stage. The one attacked becomes bloodthirsty and attack anything, human or vampire near it in an effort to drink their blood. The mania lasts for an hour on average before the subject dies."

Ichigo listened to Uryu's explanation, surprised that he hasn't heard this within the past week. It seemed a lot more complicated than it is in any book or movie he has seen. Yes, there was usually a venom and the vampire can choose whether or not he wants to inject it and yes in some books and movies if someone were to drink vampire blood then they become a vampire. He didn't realize that in reality both steps are needed for vampirism and he never heard of people going into mania. Then again, vampires were still pretty new to him too.

"The problem is that if he drinks a human's blood he becomes a ghoul. Something that isn't exactly a vampire, but most certainly isn't human. The mania state becomes permanent and it attacks humans in thirst for blood. There is no discovered cure after all these years of research. The only cure we have found is death."

Ichigo clenched his eyes tight. Someone was intentionally trying to get his friend in that mania state. That someone was willing to sacrifice his humanity just to invoke some anger in him and his roommate, his partner. He didn't want to see that happen to anyone, especially not his friends.

If he didn't die he would have turned into a ghoul. This was a college campus and there were plenty of people wandering around during the night with their guard down. He would have definitely turned into a ghoul which means that the hunters would have needed to kill him. Heck, it may have even resulted in Uryu needing to kill him, someone that he used to consider a friend.

"In Izuru's case, the vampire that attacked him intentionally tried to make him go into a mania faster, carefully taking an amount of blood out of him that wouldn't have killed him and left him for dead." Uryu explained. "She was probably trying to piss off the hunters too."

"Who was it?" Ichigo asked sternly.

Uryu checked the door to see if Shuuhei was still on the phone. He didn't want him to know, who it was. Even though he said that he didn't want revenge, if he sees her he doesn't know what will happen. She may try to kill him so that she could tie up loose ends.

"The one running the program has been expanding vampire forensics science and he recently perfected a way to find the DNA inside of venom, tracking the lineage of vampires and figuring out who turned a non-purebred vampire, and of course how to find who the venom belongs to in a vampire attack." Uryu said.

"I didn't know that technology existed." Grimmjow said in awe. "It must be fairly new."

Ichigo shook his head in frustration. Seriously, they've been talking for too long. "I don't care about that kind of explanation; all I want to know is who attacked Izuru."

Uryu sighed, already used to Ichigo's impatience. He looked over at Grimmjow and could tell that he was about to lose it too. He may even be more curious then Ichigo since the name might actually mean something to him.

"Fine, the vampire that attacked Izuru is named Harribel Tier."

* * *

Grimmjow's face soured when he heard the name escape the petite raven-haired college student. The name meant nothing to Ichigo; he just wanted a name for the person who attacked his friend. He didn't expect him to get so angry.

Ichigo thought he heard the name Harribel before but he had no idea where. It seemed that Grimmjow knew exactly who she was though. Uryu left for a second so that Ichigo and Grimmjow could be alone with their sleeping friend. It would have been nice if Grimmjow wasn't pacing back in forth in the small room mumbling "bitch" and "I should have fucking known." It was starting to annoy Ichigo who was sitting by Izuru's unconscious figure. That is not how one is supposed to act inside of a hospital room.

He may have been irritated, but he didn't want to see his new boyfriend so tormented by something like a name. He was angry too and if he could do something about her then he would be out of that room already and trying to hunt her down.

It was difficult for Grimmjow since he actually had the power to do something. It was true that he wasn't close to Ichigo's friend, but he still didn't want Ichigo to feel the way that he did. This entire war was really killing the mood. He was hoping that now that he was finally in a relationship with Ichigo that he would be able to cuddle and be lovey-dovey with him, something that he never really did with anyone else, but wanted to try with him.

Instead of playing around in their dorm room they were spending their first evening together as a couple with his injured friend. Why was that? It's because freaking Harribel was on the loose. Now he needed to worry about her.

That woman fought like a tiger or a shark or some kind of weird hybrid. She was incredibly dangerous. She was a solo vampire for around twenty years and the reason why she was able to survive that long was because of just how powerful she was. Yes, she had a fan club that desired to be her followers, but she shooed them away, claiming that they would only get in the way. It is bad news if Aizen really managed to convince her to join his clan.

Grimmjow was finally able to see Aizen's plan. If he was recruiting Kaname Tosen, Gin Ichimaru, and Harribel Tier then the rumor was true. He really was looking for purebreds. If that was the case then why did he want him? Grimmjow wasn't purebred; he was human at one point. It was a long time ago, but he was a human. The evidence of that was the warm blood ran through his veins while Aizen's skin was cold to the touch, the small thing about him that remained human.

He became strong through vigorous training so that he could fight against vampires as strong as Aizen. He didn't have a need to fight for a long time, but he was itching to fight again. He was hoping to fight soon just to get everything over with and he hoped that he and Ichigo would be able to get out of this unscathed.

* * *

 **A/N: Yeahhhh sorry, fluffy time is over. Let's get back to what I do best. Story. It's about to get intense so leave a review or follow and favorite because damn I wanna know how you're going to react. Seriously, I love hearing from the ones that regularly review. I seriously love you guys and I love hearing from you. I look forward to reading what you guys write every week, but I wanna hear from some new people as well as old. Don't be shy. I need to know if you like what I'm doing and I also welcome reviews from the future.**


	13. Chapter 13

Guys, buckle in your seatbelts.

* * *

Chapter 13

Grimmjow couldn't sleep. Ichigo barely talked all day as he held an air of depression and frustration around him as he was forced to do nothing but watch as his friends were being targeted. They visited Izuru for about an hour before they came back to the room and sat in complete silence. This was not the way he wanted to start a relationship. He blamed Aizen.

Who would want their relationship to start with an inevitable battle waiting at their doorstep? Aizen was practically declaring war now. Like, at that very moment. It was around three in the morning and he was lying on his bed with his right leg over his left in a crossed position with his laptop sitting on the top of them when he received a message over Fangbook, the vampire social media site. (Stupidest name ever)

The first thing that came to Grimmjow's mind was 'how the fuck did this guy find my profile.' He opened the message and groaned when he realized that the message system was designed to notify him when it opened. Stupid technology…who was he kidding? He lived for a very long time, long before smartphones existed, but he was always excited to see how technology was advancing.

It was too bad that the bastard now knows that he's awake. Before he even read the first message he got another one and groaned while writing a quick reply. He got up and walked out of the room quietly as to not alarm Ichigo and locked the door behind him. He cursed as he headed down the hallway. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Aizen was already outside the library waiting for him. Grimmjow huffed as he walked up to the snide asshole who was probably filing his nails waiting for him to arrive at their designated meeting place. Seriously, the library was a fucked up meeting place considering Ichigo's friend was freaking attacked when he was leaving it. He clearly made this the meeting place to remind him of the influence he had and to remind him what transpired because he dared to refuse him.

"The fuck do you want?" Grimmjow growled when he reached Aizen and was ready to get up in his face.

"You to join my clan," Aizen said like it was such an obvious statement. "I'm asking for a mutt like you to join my clan; you should be honored. I don't fully understand why it is so hard for you to betray Stark. I'm pretty sure I made all of this clear at our last meeting."

Grimmjow gritted his teeth so hard that he could hear them scraping together. He didn't like it when people he doesn't like utter his father's name. "What is there to not get? I'm not joining your clan."

Aizen shifted his weight from one foot to the other and studied Grimmjow's eyes like he was speaking a different language and he was trying to figure out what he was saying without having to pull out a dictionary. "I'm pretty sure you have received my message. I was really hoping that nothing bad would happen to that human you are so fond of. This is your second chance. I really don't want to ask you for a third time." Aizen said.

Grimmjow felt himself growling in the back of his throat. "What do you not understand? No, I'm not joining your clan and I'm not letting him get hurt."

Aizen clicked his tongue at Grimmjow's answer. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen, but it seems I'm going to have to ask you a third time." Aizen turned around, his hair getting caught in the wind letting it wave behind him.

"Let me answer for then too." Grimmjow growled. "No."

Aizen just waved him off calling behind him as he walked away. "Wait until next time and we'll see."

When Aizen was a certain distance away Grimmjow could barely make out him pulling out his phone before putting it back in his pocket soon after. When Aizen was out of Grimmjow's sight he turned around himself so that he could spend the rest of his sleepless night in his own room and by Ichigo's side.

* * *

Ichigo was asleep when he heard the sound of splintering wood and snapping metal. He thought that he was just dreaming so he only squeezed his eyes tighter, as if it would keep his dream from going out of control. It made him feel somewhat normal, like this was an ordinary, everyday night until he felt arms wrap around him. "Grimmjow?" He groaned, definitely not in the mood to play aroumd. No, the arms that were now holding him felt beefier then his and he heard a hissing sound like water on a hot surface.

Ichigo quickly turned over from on his belly and kicked upwards connecting into whoever was in his room's jaw. He knew he was up against a vampire, but he knew that he at least had to put up a struggle. Even though he felt his barefoot connect with him he didn't feel any pain, just the usual pain that comes as recoil when kicking someone. Originally he thought that it was from the adrenalin, but then he remembered when he elbows Grimmjow or whenever he play hits him and even when he tried to defend himself against Aizen that attacking hurt a lot less. He could fight back, at least slightly.

He didn't have too much time to think about it. He turned over so he could see his offender so he could know who he was fighting and what he was up against. Awkward shaped head, bald, face tattoos, and orange eyebrows, he's seen this guy before. It was the guy that grabbed onto him when Grimmjow was walking him to class for the first time. This guy almost made Grimmjow cause a really big scene. He didn't know that he was a vampire before, but he does now. It's not important whether he recognized him or not or what this guy was planning to do with him. He had to find a way to escape and fast.

He thrusted both of his feet at the guy's chest, pushing him back. He felt like time slowed down around him and his peripheral vision blurred, he was only focusing on his opponent. He didn't have time to figure out what was going on around him, he needed to fight and win, or at least escape.

If this guy was here that meant that Grimmjow was gone and he had to fight alone. Seriously, the one time that he was left alone in his room since the abduction Grimmjow had to be missing. The timing was terrible. Was this planned or something?

As the guy backpedaled Ichigo threw a punch at his jaw. It hurt, but it hurt as much as it did when punching a human. His bones were still intact. The vampire who may as well be the size of a mountain roared, probably waking up the neighbors and lunged himself at Ichigo with vampire speed. Ichigo saw it coming and tried to side step, but he was still only a human up against a vampire in a small space and he had the disadvantage. The vampire tackled him on top of his bed with his shoulder in his stomach knocking the wind out of him and slamming his head against the wall that his bed was against.

White dots danced in his eyes and he heard the bed snap underneath him making splinters fly everywhere as the mattress he was being crushed against hit the floor, or at least the suitcase under his bed. This guy must have weighed a ton to snap his bed in half. Ichigo's back and stomach was in an incredible amount of pain, but Ichigo himself was still intact for some miracle. Seriously, how was he not crushed? He was even conscious and still kicking.

Ichigo was effectively pinned underneath this monster. There was no way this guy was a regular vampire. The monstrous intruder grabbed hold of Ichigo's wrist in a death grip. Ichigo tried with all his might to yank it lose as he tried to push the monster off of him with his other hand. It wasn't working so well as the other guy grabbed his other wrist in the same gigantic hand like Ichigo's wrists were as thin as pipe cleaners.

He got off the destroyed bed holding Ichigo up in the air from his wrists. Ichigo felt his blood flow down his arms into the rest of his body as his wrists started to lose circulation while his shirt lifted up, exposing Ichigo's flat, muscular stomach. He wasn't allowed to feel self-conscious at the moment though.

As Ichigo swung from his wrists he flipped over and kicked the giants arm with both of his feet like a gymnast. The giant's hand released his wrists and Ichigo continued the flip while he was in the air and landed on his feet. When the fuck did he learn how to do that? He has gotten into street fights before, but he has never done anything like that before nor has he ever trained to do crazy stuff like that.

He took advantage of the freedom to sprint away. He ran out of the open doorway, ignoring the broken wood that now clung to his bare feet. He's never run so fast before and the booming footsteps behind him motivated him to pick up the pace. Ichigo threw open the door to the stairway he didn't have time to go down every step so he took the more dangerous shortcut, jumping. He jumped down flight after flight of stairs, causing the splinters in his feet to push further down into his flesh. He ignored it.

He sprinted down the long hallway and made it to the front door of the building and then outside before he was shoved harshly. He tumbled a few feet forward and slammed his head against the concrete floor. His arms and legs were scrapped up from the devastating landing causing a bit of blood to start leaking out of the cuts. He laid there unable to move, his injuries and exhaustion finally starting to catch up with him as he heard the booming footsteps of his offender. Ichigo clenched his eyes shut as he felt the night sky spinning around him as he panted, desperately bringing oxygen into his lungs.

The monster vampire lifted Ichigo from one of his wrists, not even regarding that he was human and there were better ways to hold him and ignored his injured arm allowing him to dangle, but causing shearing pain to Ichigo who was forced to be in that position as his arm was forced to hold his weight.

"It wouldn't have hurt so badly if you didn't resist so much, morsel." He said. He poked at Ichigo's open wound on his elbow causing Ichigo to wince. A little of his blood leaked onto his finger and dyed it red.

The monster put his finger in his mouth testingly. His eyes shot wide open and looked at the human. "You taste even better than what I thought. Fuck, this is going to be such a waste." He said as he threw Ichigo's damaged body over his shoulder.

Ichigo wasn't about to give up yet though. His body was spread out and all his limbs were scraped up so he couldn't effectively fight back, but he could at least try to get free again. Ichigo observed a large burn that the monstrous vampire had on the top of his head that he got from being inside of Ichigo's room. Maybe if he stayed inside he had a better chance of hurting this bastard more, but he knew he had a better chance of running then fighting. He lifted his shaky arm and pushed his hand on top of his abductor's head aggressively, aggravating the burn. It wasn't as effective as he hoped though, all the larger vampire did was hiss at the pain.

"Will you stop that?" He roared slapping Ichigo on the ass causing him to yelp and his face to burn red. The monster snorted at the reaction. "It's seriously a bummer that such a nice piece of meat with a nice piece of ass isn't going to last through the night." He said as he walked.

Ichigo's body went limp against the icy cold body that was carrying him. He couldn't see shit, his vision was blurred and his ears roared, but he wasn't going to let himself black out this time. There was no way he was going to let himself die tonight.

His stomach lurched when the one carrying him started to run, not really weary of the passenger that was forced to ride his shoulder. Ichigo felt his stomach and chest get aggravated from being pounded against rock hard muscles. They were already injured from the guy tackling him; he didn't need the wild bull ride to go along with it.

* * *

Ichigo was carried into a building that he couldn't recognize with his blurred vision. His vision was slowly clearing up as the monster that was grasping him slowed down to a walk. Ichigo didn't have time to feel relieved that the rough ride was over; he was too busy investigating the hallway to try and figure out where he was.

Judging from the bland, creamy walls he figured that he was either in the natural science or social science building. He couldn't make out much else unless he wanted to move more which would probably encourage the perverted beef monster carrying him to slap his ass again. It was at the very back of the building where he saw displays of different kinds of rocks. Yup, definitely the natural science building, though he has never seen that door before.

He was taken inside of what seemed like a science lab and the lights were already on which could only mean that they weren't alone. His captor placed him on a long table towards the middle of the lab facing towards the white board.

Ichigo immediately sat up straight and started to search for his exits. The one that they came out of and there was a door behind him that probably led to another lab. That was it; the only other door was a closet that was completely open and practically overflowing with supplies that wasn't in use.

Standing in front of the white board at the front of the class was a petite man wearing a white lab coat with shoulder length pink hair and glasses with white frames, behind them were eyes that seemed to have orange irises, which is something Ichigo has never seen before. "Thank you Yammy."

He walked over to the vibrant haired student that was asleep just a few minutes ago and pulled his chin forward and held him still so he can inspect him. "Incredible, only once have I smelt blood as succulent as this. Not only that, but he looks exactly like him." He cooed. "How interesting."

Ichigo glared at him like he was trying to make his eyes piece a hole right through his skull. The man gave him a lecherous grin. "It's really such a waste. I hope Aizen will at least let me have your remains." He inspected Ichigo a little more before calling out behind him, "Yammy, why is he so banged up?"

Yammy turned away and clicked his tongue. "The little prick put up a bit of a fight." He said, rolling his eyes when he heard his supposed comrade start to tut him.

"Such a disappointment, I guess you are a failure after all, after I gave you those steroids and everything." He sighed, finally releasing Ichigo's chin and walking back to the white board, leaning against it.

The door opened again, this time a woman walked in who definitely had bigger breasts then Orihime, heck she probably had bigger breasts then Nel. She had tan skin and blond, practically yellow hair that contrasted with her dark skin that was cut short. She wore a crop top that showed off her pierced belly button, and her eyes were an unnatural shade of green and Ichigo could tell as soon as she walked in that she was the strongest one of the three.

"Harribel, welcome," The pink haired man said as she walked in, her white high heel boots creating a unique sound as she carried herself to the other side of the room with an incredible presence. "Szayelaporro" She regarded walking passed him.

Ichigo's blood ran white hot as soon as he heard her name. This bitch was the one that attacked Izuru. She was so powerful that he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against her, but something willed him to try.

He tried to get up from the table, landing on his bare feet that tingled from all the splinters that were imbedded in them. Before he could see if his balance was okay he was shoved against the only wall that wasn't covered by supplies or a white board by his neck. Black dots spotted in his eyes as the back of his head hit hard stone wall. His eyesight cleared to see that he was making eye contact with green eyes that really belonged as a crayon color instead of an eye color.

"Don't try anything." She said. The intimidation shook Ichigo's whole body. After studying him for a little longer she dropped him and let him collapse to the floor. She crossed her arms and stared down at Ichigo who was gripping his neck, coughing and panting so he could fill his lungs with oxygen. "You are weak, but if you even think about attacking me again I will not hesitate to kill you."

"You guys didn't need to rough him up so much, but he is still usable." A voice Ichigo recognized said. It was the first voice that he recognized the entire time he was there and he wasn't happy to hear it at all.

Harribel walked away from him and stood next to Szayelaporro, far away from Yammy. She looked towards the source of the voice that walked into the room. She lightly nodded her head as the main antagonist made himself known.

The blood that was previously burning hot turned ice cold in Ichigo's veins as Aizen walked towards him. He pushed himself further against the wall, trying to make himself smaller. Behind Aizen were two other people one he recognized as Kaname Tosen.

He didn't know the other one, but he gave him a really uneasy feeling. He was a guy that had hair that looked purple yet silver. He had a wide grin and his eyes were slits, no his eyes looked like they were straight up closed. He stood to the right of Aizen while Kaname stood on his left. They both stayed behind practically in sync when the man in the center continued to walk forward to greet the nearly broken Ichigo.

"I'm sorry it has come to this Ichigo. I was hoping we would have been friends." He said with a bit of hollowness in his voice. He was talking out of his ass, but Ichigo knew better than to call him out on his bullshit. "Anyway, now that I'm here the timer starts. Take care of things."

Ichigo's blood ran cold as he watched Aizen walk away and lean against a desk. Yammy and Harribel moved from where they were standing and advanced on him. Ichigo's eyes darted between the two he looked for an escape route. There was no way to get to either escape route though when there were two vampires closing in on him.

"Get away!" Ichigo shouted in desperation clenching his eyes shut to prepare for what was about to come. He felt a chill run all the way up his spine, through his neck, and to the dome of his head while pressure built at his core and rose through his throat.

As he shouted he felt himself shoved against the wall from an unknown source as the two vampires in front of him were launched backwards and thrown to the others side of the room. Yammy was thrown towards the entrance of the room towards the purple haired guy, who quickly dodged him with the same amused expression he wore since he entered the room. His large body crashed against the door, ripping it right off the hinges. Harribel on the other hand was thrown into the glass cabinet that was holding all the equipment for the room. Glass shattered everywhere, falling on top of her and leaving cuts all over her tan skin.

Ichigo heard the sound of shattering glass and the sound of metal breaking and his eyes shot open to see what happened. He studied the room as he tried to figure out what the fuck was happening to him today?

He felt a pressure in the back of his throat and it was filling him full of energy and adrenalin. Did he just fus ro dah them across the room? This wasn't _Skyrim_! Heck that reference was from 2011 even if Bethesda just rereleased it! (Any _Skyrim_ fans?)

He looked around and it seemed that everyone in the room was stunned, even the guy who had slit eyes seemed to be put a little on edge. Ichigo had no idea what was going on, but it was an opportunity so he just had to roll with it.

He got off the floor shakily in an effort to keep his balance. As soon as he was steady he started to sprint for the open doorway that was helpfully opened by the huge body that belonged to the vampire, Yammy.

As he took a few steps forward a body was put between him and his exit. It belonged to the purple-haired guy. Ichigo shouted again willing the power that he used before to clear his path. He actually managed to do it causing the vampire standing in front of him to be blown backwards as well. Before Ichigo could feel proud of himself the guy that was launched rode the wind, flipping in the air landing against the wall with his feet before pushing himself off of it and flying back at Ichigo as if he performed a flip turn in a swimming pool.

Ichigo was swiped off of his feet and nearly slammed against the wall, but the vampire lightened the impact by stopping himself with his other arm that wasn't wrapped around the orange-haired boy. It almost seemed considerate except for the fact that it didn't. He climbed off of him and patted him on the head.

"That was a very nice show you've given us. You're very interesting." He said as he removed his hand off of Ichigo's head and walked back over to the desk that Aizen was sitting on. "It really is a shame. I really hope Grimmjow saves you." He said before sitting on the desk next to him.

The pink-haired vampire that was surprisingly quiet when Aizen came in spoke up "The one that I studied that also smelled like him did nothing like that. This one is different. Are we really going to waste this opportunity?" He complained.

"As intrigued as I am about all of this, yes. I would like to stick to my original plan, follow through Szayelaporro." He said. The vampire Szayelaporro sighed in disappointment as he pulled out something that looked like a handgun out of his lab coat pocket.

Ichigo's entire body froze when he saw it. He tried to get up again, but suddenly Harribel was in front of the doorway, blocking off his exit. Behind her he saw Yammy getting up and standing behind her. He had to improvise.

He pushed off the wall and slid towards the other lab tables. He knocked one over causing it to create a loud clanging sound from the plywood and what he assumed to be marble crashing against the floor. It wasn't marble, but it felt like marble. Apparently its phenolic resin and epoxy resin. That wasn't important though, what was important was that now he had some cover to protect himself from the gun. He chose to ignore the gum that was stuck to the bottom of the desk as he surveyed what was around him.

There was a fire extinguisher, but it wouldn't really do much at the distance he put himself in. He didn't want to get any closer and his chosen weapon was his new found power despite the fact that he wasn't really sure how he used it before so there was no interest there. He opened up the cabinet that was close to the drawers. Inside he found a bottle that was labeled Hydrofluoric acid. That worked, but did he really want to risk getting hurt by it? He didn't really have a choice.

He broke the seal of the bottle and unscrewed the cap. It even smelled dangerous and it was terrifying to know that the contents of the bottle would have hurt him, but he wasn't sure how it would work against vampires.

He peeked over his make shift cover and chucked the bottle at Szayelaporro. He heard the acid splash against the floor and a yelp of pain that sounded like it came from the right direction, bull's-eye. He peeked over the desk to see his target peeling off his lab coat before the acid seeps through and start to burn him too. It seemed like it was working.

Ichigo took this opportunity to run. He had two options run across the broken glass that was shattered by Harrbel's body in his bare feet or run across the acid that was spilled all over the floor by him and hope not to slip while it burned him and hurt him more then it hurt Szayelaporro, again in his bare feet. Neither option sounded that good so he chose option three. Go into the other science lab behind him that was probably not as messed up as the one he was in and use the exit door from that room.

The slid from his hiding place to the door in the back of the room. He scrambled upwards to open the door. Luckily it was unlocked, but he wasn't expecting what he found.

"Kurosaki-kun?" A feminine voice asked. "Did you come to save me?"

Ichigo slammed the door behind him, locking it and faced the girl. Shit, she sounded genuine too. It would have been honestly easier if she was an enemy too. His mission was to escape; he didn't expect it to be an escort mission. "Kurosaki-kun, what's going on? You're hurt, are you okay?" She asked.

Orihime was lying on the floor. Her wrists and ankles were bound in rope. Where they managed to pick her up and why they decided to use her as a hostage wasn't important at the moment. He needed to get the both of them out of there.

"Inoue, I need you to be quiet for a second. I need to think." He said kneeling next to her. He started to work on the rope that was tied around her ankles. He already had a limited amount of time, but this was ridiculous. Did they seriously plan this far ahead? The probability of what he was trying to attempt was close to zero, close, but it wasn't there yet.

He managed to undo the ties that were on her ankles. He didn't bother with her hands. She didn't need hands to run.

"Kurosaki-kun are you some kind of hero." She gasped as he helped her stand up and grabbed the door handle that lead to their only exit. By some freaking miracle it wasn't locked, seriously for such a planned out event they are forgetting rule number one.

That was how Ichigo felt until Ichigo's eyes landed on the wall right in front of him when the door swung open. That wall was named Yammy.

Ichigo tried to use that shout power again, but it seemed that this time he braced himself expecting Ichigo's only way of attacking besides actually fighting. He wasn't impressed. It was way harder to knock over a freaking tank. How was he able to do it the first time? He could feel his attack getting weaker with every shout. Maybe he needed to let it recharge, not that he had time for that.

Orihime on the other hand was amazed by Ichigo's power the force making her hair whip around even though she was only standing beside him. Yammy wrapped his arms around Ichigo in a bear hug completely ignoring Orihime's protests telling him to put her hero down. This girl seriously had no idea what was going on, did she?

Szayelaporro walked out of the room other lab, his hair and clothes completely soaked, and eyes flushed from having to use the shower and eye wash in the room to take care of the acid. His skin wasn't as pretty as it was before. He did seem to think he had enough time to clean up though as Harribel guarded the way Ichigo came from and Yammy covered his exit.

Szayelaporro sighed. "That was such an impressive display. I really can't express how disappointed I am in having to do this." He pulled out the gun that he had before and pulled the trigger. Ichigo felt himself getting stuck in the right shoulder blade, one of the only parts of his back that was exposed from Yammy's meaty arms. "I would have seriously loved to dissect you slowly and painfully."

Ichigo wasn't expecting a dart, but what came out of that dart hurt way more than what he expected a bullet to feel like. He collapsed against Yammy's body. Yammy dropped him on the floor and he couldn't even muster the power to get up. What was inside that dart wasn't a tranquilizer like what they were meant to be used for, but it was full of vampire venom. It hurt way more than it did last time he was bitten, but Ichigo didn't have time to harp on that.

His entire body burned and his vision swam in front of his eyes as he felt excruciating pain that hurt more than anything he has ever felt in his entire life. He didn't even feel himself get dragged to the center of the room.

He could barely make out the sounds of Orihime screaming his name before giving up on reaching him and calling out for help to anyone who can hear her screams. It was futile though, the only other people in that building were their enemies.

He couldn't even make out the sound of both doors that were his only exits closing and locking, trapping them from the inside.

He squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered. It felt like the veins in his body were exploding and his lungs were on fire. His head was becoming numb and he could feel himself start to have small spasms.

They were putting him through the first stage of vampirism, and locking him up with Orihime, a human. Ichigo wasn't in a state to try and figure out what was going on, but one thing made sense. He was still new to the entire idea how vampirism works, but if he understood the process completely then it was obvious that if he stays there then he was going to end up attacking her and turning into a ghoul.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the action packed chapter. I know a lot of you guys aren't that great at following those along so I tried my best to make it simple. I had a lot of fun writing it and I wanted to remind you guys that even if this is a fanfiction I am going to stay true to the source material and make Ichigo a badass since he's, I don't know, the main character of a shounen manga. Be sure to review and stuff because I'm sure I spiked some of your curiosity. It is official; I am going down this path for the story. No turning back for me now despite most of you are probably going to hate me.**


	14. Chapter 14

You guys still have your seatbelts buckled? I sure hope so.

* * *

Chapter 14

Grimmjow arrived at his room. The problem was that he was alone. No, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that his door was completely broken and where Ichigo should have been sleeping was left completely empty. Instead of Ichigo there was a broken bed, a few droplets of blood that he assumed to be his, and the overwhelming smell of burnt flesh. Shit.

Grimmjow focused all his energy on the spell that he put on Ichigo. Seriously, how did he not notice until now? Ichigo's presence was incredibly faint. Was it because vampire spells tended to not work on Ichigo? Every spell that he has been exposed to didn't work or he showed some degree of resistance. The mind swipe, the sleep spell, and even the freaking tracking mark which he desperately needed right now wasn't working.

He tried a few more when Ichigo was doing his homework during the weekend. Grimmjow was bored and was trying to get his attention, but he didn't even notice. He couldn't read his mind or even put a binding spell on him. (He may or may not have had some interesting fantasies about what he wanted to use that spell for.) He didn't pay any attention to him and he was completely focused on the work in front of him. He didn't really mind since it meant that Aizen wouldn't have any spells to use against him, but it would be great if the one spell that seemed to somewhat work actually helped him more at this very moment.

It took some digging and intense concentration, but he was able to find a small faint glimmer of Ichigo's presence. It was north from where Grimmjow was standing. Grimmjow's stomach soured when he felt Ichigo's state of mind at that exact moment. He was nearly unconscious, hurt, and he was terrified.

Grimmjow ran out of the room not paying any more attention to it. He didn't have time to worry about night owl students stealing their shit. He shoved open the door to the stairwell and jumped over the side so that he fell all the way to the first floor. He didn't care if anyone saw him parkouring, his number one priority was to find Ichigo. If anyone saw him then he could deal with them later.

He ran down the long hallway to get to the entrance and he mentally slapped himself for just realizing how Ichigo's scent flooded the hallway. Was he so lost in his own thoughts to not realize it before? They must have come out of this hallway. It was a sign that Ichigo may have succeeded in running away for a while since they didn't leave through a window which would have been faster and had less of a chance of being seen. They were in college; people are in the freaking hallways all the time even if it was past 3 am. Not many of them were gazing out the windows since most students had laptops to distract them.

The vampire spell wasn't working as much as he would have liked so he used Ichigo's scent as a second reference as he smelled the air around him trying to find the hint of Ichigo that was lost in the gentle May breeze. Grimmjow headed north where the mark was telling him. He ran past the library. Shit, did all of this happen while he was here?

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and ignored it. He kept on running till he reached the natural science building. Ichigo's scent was incredibly strong and it was obvious that this was where he was being held.

He tried to open the doors to the front of the building. They were unlocked so security was either incredibly lax that day or there was something out of the ordinary happening this very second.

Grimmjow stepped inside bracing himself for booby traps before he felt stupid for expecting any in the first place. These assholes want him to be here. Ichigo's scent was even stronger in the building as if he was currently bleeding. His scent was always strong, but for the scent to be this overwhelming he must have been experiencing a lot of pain. His brow furrowed at just the thought of what they were doing to him. He was about to sprint down the hallway so he could follow the scent, but instead he heard a hushed whisper calling him over with his acute hearing.

He looked to his right to see Uryu crouching behind a chair that was in the lounge that looked the same in every other one of the buildings. He was dressed funny, wearing white and blue clothing with cross designs all over it. It must have been some kind of ancient hunting uniform; either that or he had weird taste in clothing. He had a glowing bow that was summoned from the charm that he always wore around his wrist. There was no denying that this guy was a hunter that had some sort of magic running through his veins which was rare since magic in humans was dying out. If Grimmjow's mind wasn't so preoccupied then he would have been impressed.

"I was tipped off that Orihime was taken here." Uryu said in a hushed voice. "My source also told me that Ichigo would also be here so I'm not surprised to see you."

Part of Grimmjow was curious who exactly this source was considering everything just happened within the span of ten to twenty minutes. Another part of him wondered why the heck the ditzy girl he had a crush on was there. The biggest part of him just didn't give a shit; he just wanted Ichigo to be safe, and for that he needed to get to him faster.

They heard a cry for help that rang throughout the entire building, bouncing off the walls in a high pitched scream. It was a female voice that Uryu recognized as Orihime and it didn't exactly sound like she was having a good time. He immediately got up from his crouching spot. The bow in his hands shape exaggerated more as his emotions heightened.

"I was waiting for reinforcement, but it seems like you'll have to do for now. Let's go." Uryu said looking to his right to see that Grimmjow was no longer there.

Grimmjow didn't care to wait up for the narrow eyed four-eyes. He didn't care whether it would have been safer if he had gone with him the faster he got there the better. He didn't care how banged up he got in this fight as long as Ichigo was safe, and yes, he knew that there was going to be a fight. If it wasn't initiated he was going to do it. His patience was gone and there was no way he was going to let Aizen off the hook.

He came running towards the back of the natural science building first floor. Crowding the narrow hallway was other vampires that he could immediately tell was threatening. There was the big one that was covered in burn marks that he recognized as the one that bothered him the other day. If the burn marks indicated anything then he was the one that destroyed their room. Standing next to him all cut up for some reason was Harribel.

Grimmjow immediately braced himself for a fight, but before he could Aizen stepped out of the room, that they were standing in front of, completely intact.

Grimmjow had to contain himself from lunging at him and strangling the living daylights out of him. He was more distracted in trying to find Ichigo. The smell of chemicals was overpowering, creating a nauseating smell that was mixed with the smell of broken glass, splintered wood, and blood. It made him worry if they were using chemicals to torture Ichigo. He didn't have the full picture, but it was hard for him to not assume the worst.

He was still able to smell Ichigo and from the mark that he left on him, though it was failing it showed that he was practically unconscious and he was in an unbelievable amount of pain. The only way he could be in that amount of pain is if he is going through the first stages of vampirism. He gritted his teeth. They were seriously trying to pull this shit with him again?

"I knew you'd be here, but we didn't even get to finish preparing for you yet." Aizen said. "We were going to organize the negotiation and even make some tea, but Ichigo proved to be a bit of a handful."

Grimmjow scrapped his teeth together, a bad habit that he was starting. He wished Aizen's neck was in between his jaws and that his sharp canines were digging in his neck. He clenched his fists tightly and he wished that Aizen's head was in his hands so that he could crush his skull. It was too bad, but it was obvious that Aizen had the advantage and all he was able to do at the moment was fantasize.

"This is your third chance, Grimmjow." Aizen said. "I won't give you anymore. The first time I tried to turn Ichigo I was planning on handing him over to you once you join as a gift. This time though, if you don't join then I'm not going to let him be human nor a vampire."

Behind Grimmjow he could hear the hunter sprinting forward to catch up with him, took him long enough. This guy better not be dead weight even though he was planning on taking everyone down whether he had backup or not.

"I'm not joining you, and I am not letting you hurt Ichigo anymore. Grimmjow practically shouted as he lunged for Aizen. The boy with the bow was ready and he already had a glowing blue arrow charged up.

It is very rare for a human to be born with magic abilities and even if a human is born with magic it is very rare for them to pursue it since it is so dangerous and difficult. Magic can be gained through training, but the training is even more difficult than it is for people who are born with magic. It's very hard for people who were born in a family with no history of magic to learn so the art was dying.

Uryu was born in a family with a long line of hunters and he learned magic from his grandfather rather than do what most hunters do and buy wooden spears, silver arrows, holy water filled explosives, and expensive equipment. It was incredible that he was able to accomplish the level of magic he was using at such a young age.

Aizen disappeared back into the classroom with amazing speed. Onlookers would have thought that he has teleported, but he was just simply too fast for the naked eye. With Grimmjow's intense and trained eyesight he was able to see him move and he maneuvered his body to follow him, but he was blocked by the two other vampires that were in the hall.

A blue arrow whizzed past his face, it travelled towards the larger vampire whose head was practically touching the ceiling. He dodged the arrow, but he dodged towards Harribel knocking into her and nearly pushing her off balance. It was clear that the two of them weren't fighting together for a long time. It gave Grimmjow enough time to leap in-between the fat vampire and the empty door way.

"Yammy." Harribel said sternly and emotionlessly as if scolding him for his clumsy actions. Harribel always fought alone and was praised for her speed. Having a fat lug of a vampire fight with her in a narrow hallway was a disadvantage to her.

Yammy ignored her and reached out for Grimmjow, trying to grab him by the collar of his tight fitting sleeveless shirt, but he was already out of reach as he ducked inside the science lab. Uryu shot another arrow in between him and the doorway to block Yammy from following him. He shot two more, directed at his chest one more right the other more left.

He dodged towards the doorway rather than Harribel this time, learning from his mistake and he caught the other one in his hand arrogantly before dropping it and holding his wrist, gritting his teeth together. He observed his hand and there were white burn marks which made his tan skin look like glass and steam rose off of it leaving behind the smell of burnt flesh. He was burned enough that night and he was really getting pissed off from all the damage he was taking for the team.

"I thought you were one of those hunters that wanted to make peace with the supernatural." He growled in a gruff voice.

"I believe in making peace with the supernatural that is willing to cooperate. Do you expect me to be more lenient if you were a human that kidnapped humans? It's my job to keep the peace on this campus and abduction will not be tolerated!" Uryu shouted the last part and shot a flurry of charged up arrows. It didn't seem possible to shoot arrows like a machine gun, but Uryu made it look easy.

In the narrow hallway the only option Yammy had was to brace himself. Harribel ran across the side of the wall dodging the whirlwind of arrows and jumped at him and planted her feet into his chest, stabbing him with her high heels. It was truly amazing how she was able to run and maneuver so fast when she had such a difficult handicap.

Uryu was sent flying down the highway. Blood stained his white clothing red as the marks Harribel left in his chest acted more like a bullet wounds. He coughed, tasting iron in his mouth that came from his own blood. He wasn't matched fairly. It was two against one and he was only a lone hunter. Like vampires, hunters also preferred to stay in groups, but he didn't have enough time to wait for backup.

He knew he was able to take on Yammy, but Harribel was a more difficult target. Yammy wouldn't be able to fight effectively in a hallway when he is up against a ranged fighter, but with Harribel's speed and maneuverability there was no way he could fight against both of them. If Yammy closes in on him then it is game over.

"Need a hand?" A voice Uryu didn't recognize said. The legs of someone wearing some kind of long white trench coat stood next to him and he spoke with a calm mature voice.

Uryu looked up to see someone he didn't recognize. His first instinct when he made eye contact with the newcomer was ' _short_.' He looked like a little kid, but he had the expression of an adult. He looked more mature then most of the students on campus who practically acted like overgrown toddlers. The only thing that looked aged to him was his snow white hair that was spiked upwards to give him a somewhat taller appearance.

"Who are you?" Uryu asked in a weaker voice that he didn't expect to come out of him which came as a result of having the wind knocked out of him. He sat up and scrambled to get to his feet as the other two vampires advanced towards them.

The shorter kid's eyes didn't waver from the opponents that stood in front of them.

"I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya. I'm your back up."

* * *

Grimmjow didn't even question why the science lab was so fucked up. He didn't question the broken glass, the tipped over lab desks, or the acid that was covering the floor. He was too focused on what was in front of him.

He was in a room that had three other vampires in it. There was another one with pink hair and was drenched in water, but he literally left through the front door as soon as he entered the room. He didn't seem like much of a fighter and he probably left because there was no longer a purpose for him to be there and he didn't want to get in the way. He can deal with that asshole later even though he didn't know what his purpose of being there was. He definitely wasn't up to anything good.

He was soon on guard as a dark skinned vampire was now clashing against him. For someone who was indoors he sure was able to fight well with sunglasses on even if they keep these science rooms lit like a stadium. They exchanged blows as the other two of them looked on in amusement.

"You have a time limit you know." Aizen called out from where he sat. Even in a room that looked like chaos he still acted as suave as ever. It really pissed Grimmjow off. "Ichigo was injected with venom that is able to make him go into mania even faster. He's locked up with a human; he'll be a ghoul before you can do anything if you don't save him. There is an easy way to do that. Just agree to my terms."

Grimmjow fought even harsher. He figured as much from the mark even though it wasn't working so well. There was no way he was going to listen to Aizen even with the stakes that high. That maniac went too far and he was going to pay for it in blood.

His blows became stronger, but the fallback was that he became sloppier. Kaname quickly shoved his arms to the side and jabbed him in the side. Grimmjow coughed and threw his head back before slamming it forward into his opponent's nose, shattering his sunglasses against his face. Headbutts are so effective.

Kaname retreated holding his eyes in shock from the pain of glass shards in his eyes, blood dripping down his in stripes. Grimmjow grinned wildly satisfied that he was able to blind his opponent, but before he knew it his opponent was at him again and punched him in the cheek hard enough to send him flying into the destroyed cabinets and fall into the broken glass, cutting through his clothes and getting stuck to his skin.

Grimmjow was shocked how his opponent was able to fight back so quickly without being able to see before some advice was shouted out from Gin who was just sitting back and watching the show without a care in the world. "He's blind. He couldn't see before so fighting without eyesight isn't new to him."

Fuck, he felt stupid, but more stupid from having to get advice from someone who he will also be fighting. He would surely lose if both of them were to attack him at once. So why was only one of the henchmen fighting him? Then again that was just how Gin rolled; he never liked putting in more effort than he had to and he appreciated a fair fight.

Kaname pursued him even though he was on the ground and he didn't give him any space to get up between the cabinet, the lab desks, and Kaname. He had no choice but to throw himself further back to get some distance, causing more glass to dig into his palms and cut through his clothes, causing him to bleed.

He got up and launched himself at the opposing vampire he smashed him in the face with his right fist. His knuckles cracked at the contact, bruising his hand from the amount of force he put in, but causing a lot more damage to the vampire that he was against. He flew backwards into the whiteboard breaking it and even leaving a large imprint on the wall behind him. Kaname gasped for the breath that was knocked out of him, but Grimmjow didn't give any ground.

He followed him and continued to punch him furiously, his knuckles bleeding with each punch that was not caused by the broken glass.

Suddenly Gin was at his back pulling him away from the one that he was practically torturing, looks like he wasn't allowed to stand around anymore. It was now officially two against one. Two purebreds against a turned one like him. He was completely unmatched.

* * *

Uryu observed his new help. There were two of them, not nearly as much as he expected and he was definitely not expecting vampires. Seriously, there were plenty of hunters at the school in charge of looking over the program and Urahara decided to send these two. Not that he was complaining at the moment.

The one he knew was Toshiro Hitsugaya from the introduction he just received. He heard of the Hitsugaya clan, but he was pretty sure they were stationed in Norway. He heard stories about him, but he had no idea that he appeared so young.

The other was a blond woman that he did not recognize. She must have also come from his clan, but she didn't have the same icy appearance as he did. The Hitsugaya clan was said to have some kind of ice attribute, whatever that meant. Most people in the Hitsugaya clan who were purebreds had white hair. Seems like she wasn't one, heck he couldn't tell if she was purebred.

"Toshiro, I'm going on ahead." She said.

"Alright, I'm counting on you. Be careful, Matsumoto." Hitsugaya said.

Uryu immediately understood what he was supposed to do. He shot at the big, hulking vampire behind Harribel once again making him back up and give her space to squeeze through while the Hitsugaya boy rushed at the tan vampire and kept her busy.

She managed to slip past the two opposing vampires. Earning a groan in frustration from Harribel that was directed at Yammy who was being completely useless once again. For a guy that was buffed up on steroids that were created by Szayelaporro he was way too slow and way too stupid. He let the meat get to his head and he wasn't smart enough to recognize the same action that he used for Grimmjow. It was obvious that they were looking for an opening.

* * *

Rangiku managed to slip in with barely any problems. It seems that the big one was an idiot and she bet that her clan leader would be able to handle himself fine even if he was up against the famous Harribel. She wasn't sure about the other kid though. He seemed pretty young to be a hunter, but he seemed capable of doing magic was in itself impressive. She decided to keep an open mind.

The lab was completely destroyed. She immediately recognized the blue-haired vampire fighting for his life. It was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, total hunk of the Jaegerjaquez clan that oozed sex appeal, but a total asshole. Gin mentioned him before though she never met him personally.

There seemed to be quiet a problem though. He was seriously struggling and he seriously needed the help. Looks like she came at the right time and it seemed his interests aligned with hers.

Her presence wasn't noticed yet so she quickly snuck up behind Gin and grabbed a hold of him in a headlock making him gasp in surprise.

"I'm borrowing him~" She said with a bright smile directed at Grimmjow that looked more menacing then cute.

The fighting stopped for a quick second as Grimmjow looked at the new player who just joined the battle. He blinked, trying to figure out what was going on. He was so focused on his fight in that he didn't realize that there were new people coming to help. The hunter did mention that he was waiting for backup, but he wasn't expecting more vampires.

Before he could say anything Rangiku left the room, dragging a struggling Gin that looked even more surprised than Grimmjow, which was amazing since he always wore the same expression.

She held her childhood best friend in front of him and used him as a hostage as she passed through the hallway.

"You need any help?" Yammy asked as he continued bracing himself against glowing arrows and not looking too pretty himself.

"I'll be fine." Gin managed to say, still in complete shock. He didn't know what was going on. Heck, did anyone know what was going on?

"Focus on your own battle." Harribel called out. "That man can take care of himself."

Rangiku was grateful that she was able to get past them without causing too much of a problem. Even if she had a hostage these were Aizen's men. If they were like Aizen himself that means that they didn't mind killing their own comrade if it meant getting rid of an enemy.

She walked over to a vacant classroom. The door was locked like it should be after hours, but she didn't have the patience for it so she kicked it down causing Gin to lurch to the side as a result of him being trapped in her arms.

She threw him causing him to hit the wall making and angry slapping sound as he caught himself just barely with the palms of his hands to lessen the impact.

"You have no idea how furious I am." Rangiku said. "You were the person that I trusted the most out of anyone in the clan. I trusted you more than Jushiro and you betray us. I was almost killed."

Gin walked over to her. "Well, I have some complicated feelings. Part of me is happy to see you, but the other part of me wants to never see you again."

Rangiku reached out and slapped him. He took it without complaint flinching at the power of her raw strength.

"Okay, I deserved that, that's all you get." Gin growled, but keeping his usual expression. "I need to urge you to stay out of Aizen's way. I will let today pass, but if this happens again and you get in the way then I won't hesitate to get rid of you."

Rangiku's eyes filled with sadness, but she was more furious then sad as she watched Gin walk past her, not even seeing the point of fighting her.

"In the meantime, I can predict the outcome of this battle and it is late. I'm tired so I'll leave here and let you guys take care of everything. You should be happy. I'm one less opponent to worry about." Gin said walking out and down the alternate hallway so that he wouldn't interfere with his comrades' fights.

Rangiku collapsed to the floor. She could feel her heart pounding through her chest. He was serious. He wouldn't hesitate to erase her existence from the map if it meant that she would stay out of the way. This must have all been some joke to him or something and he didn't want her to interfere. She wasn't even sure if he was surprised to see her alive or not. He didn't even bother to fight her and she was so stunned that she didn't know what to do but let him leave.

The only thing she could think to do was to sit there and wonder what happened to Gin to make him turn his back on his clan. She seriously had no idea what he was thinking. To think that she ever fell in love with that man.

* * *

"Okay, what the fuck is happening?" Grimmjow asked completely bewildered. He had no choice but to accept what was going on. He didn't have time to figure out what events were taking place outside of his own battle. All he knew was that his other opponent was gone and it was one on one again.

It seemed even Aizen wasn't sure what was going on. He definitely prepared for backup, but he was expecting hunters. He had four henchmen and it seemed that it was going to be more than enough and he was just going to sit backseat for this one and just watch as his chess pieces moved on his own, but he didn't expect one of his chest pieces to go off with another one without much of a fight.

Grimmjow focused on the vampire in front of him. His opponent flashed his cut up opal eyes at Grimmjow and he was shaken to his core. He felt an immense amount of pain and his left side and felt lighter. He looked over with a bit of fear in his eyes to find his arm on the floor by his feet. Where his arm should have been had a steady stream of blood pouring out of him, his eyes started to blur, but he fought against the pain and the desire to vomit. He wasn't going to fall here.

"If you aren't going to join my clan then I don't care if you die." Aizen said "In fact, plan B involves killing you. It seems like you aren't going to change your mind so this will be your resting place."

Grimmjow took his attention off of his arm and started to hold in a stifled laugh. Aizen cocked his head before Grimmjow gave up and let out a maniacal laugh. Kaname spit out the blood that was collecting in his mouth and mumbled "crazy."

"I haven't had a very interesting fight in a long time, and you guys made me bleed a whole lot. I just fed today, but I'm already so hungry that I can go crazy. I'm going to end this really quickly for all of our sakes." Grimmjow said.

He placed his right arm on the stump that was originally his left arm and coated it will blood. He then rose his arm in front of him, arm stretched out with his fingers curled. A blue light started to illuminate in the center of his palm. It built up with an intense heat before it became too much and launched out of Grimmjow's hand making an incredible blast that blew through the stone wall that Kaname was standing in front of. A trail of sand flew and dusted around the entire room while Kaname's clothing flew a few classrooms down. Bricks that the building was structured from started to decay and fall from place and there was no more sign of Kaname being alive, just sand. Aizen's mouth hung open.

"Incredible, I never thought a turned vampire like you was able to perform the Gran Rey Cero. It was thought to be a lost art. I'm truly amazed." Aizen said. "It is such a bummer that we are going to lose two interesting specimens today."

Grimmjow was now sweating profusely. He didn't have time to think about Aizen, he was more focused on finding Ichigo. He could tell that he was behind the door that Aizen sat in front of, but whether he had the strength to get there relied on him.

He picked up his arm that was lying on the floor which was covered in broken glass. He didn't even know why he bothered with it, but spending his entire life with the body part made it feel like a necessity. He couldn't bear leave it there to rot.

He stood in front of Aizen, exhaustion evident on his face. "Let me through." He said in a quiet husky voice.

"You know I can't do that" Aizen said standing up from where he was sitting so that he could now take his turn in squaring off against Grimmjow, but before he could the hunter and another opponent that he recognized as a vampire came into the room. What interesting backup they've found.

"Aizen, your henchmen are dead or have escaped. You have no choice but to submit." The midget vampire said.

Aizen stood there in silence looking between Grimmjow and party of two that was blocking the exit. He clenched his hands and sighed.

"Perhaps another time," He said. "We'll meet again another day."

Immediately he was gone. Grimmjow watched him run off and he knew that there was no way he was going to catch him with his body being banged up as it was. He was running on fumes, but that didn't stop the white-haired vampire to call after him and put up a chase despite him looking pretty banged up himself.

As much as he wanted to pursue Aizen and make him pay for what he has done he has to worry about one thing at a time and his number one priority was behind that door.

* * *

Ichigo didn't know where he was. The last thing he remembered was that he was hit by a dart and that he was undergoing the first stage of vampirism. Now he was outside, and it was day time. He was also lying down on what seemed like…what? The side of a building? What the fuck?

He got up and he was surprised by the amount of pain he wasn't in. He felt like this was surreal, like this wasn't real and everything he was seeing was only a dream. It felt like his physical body wasn't really there, but here he stood looking out at the sky and the city that he didn't recognize.

"Am I dreaming? What is this place?" He asked out loud turning around to try and find any hints on where he was. The sky looked so real even though his mind was telling him it wan't.

"No time ta explain." A strange voice that seemed to echo said. Ichigo didn't recognize it, but it was the only thing that could be a possible guide even though it seemed like it was only in his head.

Ichigo looked around frantically to find the source of the voice.

"Over here." It said, but this time it sounded more physical. It was still weird and had an odd echo, but it sounded close.

Ichigo whipped his head around to see someone who may as well have been his reflection. He looked just like him, but he was paler, his hair was completely white matching the color of his hair, and his eyes were completely black except for his golden, yellow irises. Not only that, but his voice was strange. It didn't sound like it was physically possible for a human to have a voice like that; it even had a weird echo. How did he? He definitely wasn't there before.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked.

"I said there ain't any time ta explain." He said more urgently. The world around him turned sideways as if it was on an axis and Ichigo started to fall towards the ground. Ichigo shouted out as he fell. Even though the entire world felt like an illusion falling still felt the same as it did in real life and it was just as scary.

"We don' have much time." The clone of him said a bit frustrated by the noise that was coming out of the human's mouth as he fell down alongside him. "I need ya ta turn this world back ta normal."

The buildings started to decay around them and fall towards the ground that was also starting to fall apart, creating a large chasm below them.

"How?" Ichigo shouted out to the pale figure.

"Resist the mania." He said, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious.

"What the hell does that have to do with this?" Ichigo cried out now aware of the state that his physical body was in, though he couldn't feel the physical pain now he knew what was going on.

"Jeez, yur so fuckin' slow." The other said as if he wasn't nearly as stressed out as Ichigo was. "'Ave ya even realized that we're in yur own fuckin' mind? This is yur inner world, so fix it."

Ichigo swallowed hard as he examined the chaos that was surrounding him. This is his mind? Then the reason why everything was falling apart was because he was going through the first stage of vampirism and he was about to lose his mind. He needed to get a grip. Get a grip, get a grip, get a grip he repeated to himself. Nothing changed as he fell through the chasm the street that was below him into deep water. Everything slowed down around him, the derby fell slowly in the water dropping towards the bottom, wherever that was, his hair flowed in front of his face, and the clone of himself was floated in front of him. He didn't feel wet, but he could tell that he was in water.

"Geez, if ya become a ghoul this body won't be of use ta us." The white figure groaned. He wasn't the best support. "'Iight fine, I'll help ya this time, King. Is there anyone that ya need ta see right now? Ya won't be able ta do that if ya become a beast."

Ichigo thought to himself. There were a lot of people he wanted to see. He wanted to see Rukia, Renji, his sisters, Nel, and even his father. No, that wasn't all. As much as he was embarrassed to admit it, he really wanted to see Grimmjow. Even though he said he would only try dating him he couldn't help but get a soft spot for the damn narcissistic asshole. It seemed that he actually did like him back even though he usually wouldn't let himself believe it.

Damn he needed to see him. He wanted to feel his touch again. He wanted to kiss him. He just needed to be around him. He didn't care if he was over protective or even a complete asshole. He just wanted him to be by his side. He felt like such an idiot thinking like this, but it was true.

The water drained around him and all the debris that was falling started to float upwards. The air felt like there was a new warmth present that wasn't there before and he was standing on the side of a building again despite not knowing how he got there. He smiled and looked over the negated image of himself.

"Who are you?" He asked again. The white copy of himself looked over with a puzzled exression on his face like he wasn't expecting him to ask, but it quickly relaxed.

"I guess ya wouldn't know." He said turning away from Ichigo. "There is still a lot ya don' know 'bout yurself. Oh well, I guess I'll tell ya. The names'-"

* * *

 **A/N: Once again, sorry for the action packed chapter. I try to make it as readable as possible since I know how hard it is to follow along with fight scenes, but it did get a little graphic. I hope it was fun none the less since there was a lot that I wanted to cover in this chapter. I really need to know if you guys are okay with what I am doing because I was planning this for a while and I need the approval of others to encourage me. So please review.**

 **Ummm, there is also something I have to tell you. I'm going on vacation for a while and I'm also getting puppies right after so I may be on hiatus for a while since posting over my phone on vacation is a pain and my hands will be full with two puppies. I'll try to post when I can, but I won't exactly be weekly for a while. I'll try to update as much as possible. I'm not usually demanding, but I suggest you follow me if you want updates or if you use a phone turn on notifications so you know when the next chapter is out.**


	15. Chapter 15

I understand that it is a really bad idea to upload while I'm on vacation, but I miss posting stuff so I'm going to remind you all that uploads are still irregular for now. Enjoy and I hope you won't hate me by the end of this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 15

"Hey Ichi, come on. Wake up, please don't die." Ichigo's eyes flickered open, his eyes sensitive and not responding to the brightness of the science lab. Hearing his name called out to him in desperation droned on as white noise before it started to become clearer as he remembered where he was and what was happening around him in a fog. He felt fingers gripping his shoulder signaling that he was brought back to reality. They kept him grounded and prevented him from falling to the desire of just closing his eyes again. His inner world was gone as easily as it appeared and it almost felt like it was a dream even if it was too real to be his imagination.

When his vision cleared he was greeted by the image of a cut up and bloody Grimmjow. The previously unconscious boy groaned and held on to his shoulder blade where he was stuck, shifting in a position so he was slightly sitting upright, making black dots dance in front of his eyes and his vision swim. There were now two new holes that went along with the one that was made from the dart that was just recently imbedded in his back. They didn't hurt, but the dot from the dart still stung slightly.

It seemed that Grimmjow tried to suck out the venom. No, he was late. He could have sucked out some of it, but there was no way he could have gotten all of it since some of the venom was lost in his blood circulation no matter how hard he sucked there was no way he could get all of it. Ichigo was close to going into mania, damn close. His inner world falling apart was evidence of that even though he still didn't fully understand what was happening. He actually managed to fight off the vampirism by himself or at least mostly by himself. He still didn't fully understand what was going on.

"Fuck, thank God." Grimmjow said pulling Ichigo closer to his wet bloody body. The smaller was incredibly drowsy, but he quickly snapped out of his daze when he smelled the thick scent of iron that emanated off of the one holding him. He pealed himself off Grimmjow, suddenly stronger then he was a moment ago to get a better look. His vision flickered and his stomach protested from him getting up too quickly before Ichigo's eyes readjusted and landed on the source of all of Grimmjow's blood.

"Holy shit, what the fuck happened to you?" Ichigo cried out seeing Grimmjow's arm lying next to him forgotten. "You lost your freaking arm!"

Grimmjow gave him a weak smile as if he were trying to reassure him that everything was okay or at least reassure himself. "It's fine. It's just an arm. I'm just happy that you're okay."

Ichigo ignored him, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. He held them in, but he couldn't stop his slight sniffling. "Don't act like everything is okay." He said staring at Grimmjow's severed arm that was lying down uselessly next to him, avoiding Grimmjow's gaze so he couldn't see how hurt and scared he was for him.

Ichigo didn't know what came over him, but he knew that he had to do something. He felt so useless. Grimmjow would yell at him if he could read his thoughts, but he couldn't help but think that if Grimmjow never met him maybe he wouldn't have so many enemies and he would still have two arms.

Ichigo felt an intense stare on his back causing a chill to run through his body as he turned around to see Orihime, her arms still bound and her mouth was in a ridiculous 'o' shape. "Ummm," is all he managed to say before he awkwardly asked "are you okay?"

She nodded her head frantically as she realized that she was staring for way too long. A blush turned her entire face red and her lips scrambling into a weird expression while she was trying to piece together what exactly was going on between the two roommates. Grimmjow rolled his eyes, deciding that it was best to take the opportunity to confirm her suspicion. He leaned into the orange-haired boy and planted a passionate kiss on his mouth. He angled Ichigo's face so that one of his deep blue eyes were visible behind Ichigo's turned head so that he can direct an intense glare at the innocent girl that was treading way to close to what was his and needed to back off before he lost his patience.

Ichigo was confused by Grimmjow's needy kisses, but he didn't protest. He was just grateful to see that Grimmjow was alive so he was able to ignore his insistence on publicly displaying their affection. He was worried something happened to him when he wasn't in their dorm room. He didn't have time to think about him at the time since he was forced to fight for himself against that giant vampire. The kisses that he received meant that he was actually physically there with him and that this wasn't all some dream that was conjured by his subconscious while he was in the mania. That entire inner world thing was crazy. He's never heard of anything like that happening before to anyone and he wasn't even sure if he should believe that it is real or not.

They didn't have a lot of time to themselves to do other coupley stuff before Uryu came into the room carrying a first aid kit. He had a bottle of Grade-C holy water and a readied syringe on hand then he dropped down to treat the infected patient. That was before he realized that Ichigo was conscious and looking up at him with a puzzled expression like he was wondering what he was doing there.

"How?" Uryu asked plainly in confusion before directing a glare at Grimmjow. "Did you turn him while I was gone? I specifically told you not to and that it was a last resort."

Grimmjow shook his head. "I was going to, but it seems that Ichigo is even weirder then we thought." Grimmjow said. "Seriously I'm not complaining but, what the hell are you, Ichigo?"

Ichigo shrugged. He had a suspicion for a while that he was different when he discovered that he was able to resist the spells that vampires tried to place on him. He was more confused when he saw what the inside of his mind looked like, he, once again, didn't know if it was real, but there was a guy there. That guy looked exactly like him and he seemed to know exactly what to do, but he still made Ichigo figure it out by himself giving him only a hint. Ichigo was tempted to respond by saying 'I'm human,' but at this point he seriously wasn't sure how to respond to that question.

The others had no idea what he saw and the more he learned about himself only brought up more questions. He was officially the most confused out of all of them. That was unless you considered the human that was left in the dark that was speculating the entire thing. She probably had the most questions out of everyone there and it seemed that everyone noticed.

"Hey buddy, pay attention to your girlfriend over there." Grimmjow said as he continued to hold onto Ichigo with his one arm even though he was now fully capable of sitting up himself.

Before Grimmjow even said anything Uryu was already by her side. He glared over his shoulder. "What do you think I'm doing?" He growled before turning back to Orihime, his face suddenly softening as he gave her a reassuring look in an effort to encourage her to believe that everything was alright. He started to check up on her and asked if she was able to stand as he helped her to her feet.

Ichigo was distracted. His eyes were glued to the Grimmjow's stump of an arm that was hastily bandaged. The bandages were stained crimson and were damp despite the wrap being fresh. It was clear that he wasn't treated as the first priority which kind of made sense since he assumed that Ichigo himself was perceived as the more important patient. Without really being conscious of what he was doing Ichigo reached out and started to undo the tape. The strap of Grimmjow's sleeveless shirt threatened to fall off his shoulder that originally held his left arm.

Grimmjow flinched under Ichigo's touch. "Wait, what are you doing?" He yipped before he studied Ichigo's face that seemed to be lost in a trace. He swallowed his words and decided to wait rather than stop him. He didn't know what was going on, but it seemed that something was going to happen.

He hesitated when Ichigo grabbed his severed arm and observed it like a science experiment. Even when Ichigo stared at it he seemed like he wasn't himself. His breath hitched in the back of his throat when a black color started to leak out of the corners of Ichigo's eyes and started to slowly color his scleras, turning every white part of his eye black in a fashion that looked like dye dripped into water. Ichigo's usual amber irises turned golden and it reflected light almost as if they were glowing by themselves. Ichigo looked possessed with the amount of focus that was hidden behind his now black eyes.

Unexpectedly, something that looked like golden hairs that matched the color of Ichigo's irises started to rise out of Grimmjow's severed arm and the same started to grow out of the left stump where an arm should have been. They connected and started to stitch together and crosshatched. Ichigo brought the arm closer to Grimmjow's shoulder lifting it so that they connected and pulled the severed part in.

Grimmjow could feel a tingly feeling in his arm as he felt the nerves reconnecting and stitching back together and he felt his bones snapping together, making disgusting cracking sounds before the light hairs vanished. He could even feel a tingly feeling in the fingertips that shouldn't have existed anymore. A feeling he never thought he would feel again and took for granted before he lost the ability to feel them.

Ichigo let go and Grimmjow's arm stayed connected to him. Grimmjow moved it around testing to see if this was actually happening; it felt as though it never left his body. There wasn't even a scar that indicated that his arm has torn from his body. The black in Ichigo's eyes retreated back towards the corner of his eye making his sleras white again. He blinked and his irises were back to its amber brown color, completely normal. He looked at Ichigo again, a little relief hidden in his eyes, his expression read as astonishment, but overall he was happy.

"Seriously, what are you?" Grimmjow asked.

"Ichigo, Grimmjow I need you both to go to- what the hell?" Uryu said looking over his shoulder to see that Grimmjow's arm was reattached.

Orihime's eyes were bulged out of her head and her now freed hands covered her mouth.

Uryu was completely dumbfounded as he tried to find the right words to say, "How?" was the word that exploded out of him louder than necessary. He seemed to be favoring that word today.

Ichigo looked over at him, exhausted. Whatever he did took up a huge amount of energy. It was incredibly useful, but it only raised more questions.

"I have no idea." Ichigo said in a drowsy voice as his eyelids started to droop, threatening to cast a blanket of sleep over him.

"Umm, I'm sorry, but what exactly is going on?" Orihime asked, bringing the attention back on her. "I usually have weird dreams, but this is beyond anything I've ever dreamt of."

Uryu mentally slapped himself for letting a vampire and a whatever-Ichigo-was do whatever the hell they want in the same room as her. He was glad that Grimmjow was okay, but he should have moved her since she had minimal injuries and was fine standing on her own. She didn't need to be exposed to those freaks of nature.

Uryu was conflicted he wanted to tell her that he was a hunter and that the supernatural existed, but at the same time he knew it was best that her life remains as normal as it possibly could. "I kinda fell asleep in the library and found myself here." She explained. "A big beefy guy grabbed me and carried me off. I tried to fight him off, but then he took me here and bound my hands and feet together. Then it was quiet and I couldn't get free. Then there was a lot of noise and Kurosaki-kun came in to save me and I was really happy. Then he used this cool power, but he was grabbed then shot and collapsed. I was so scared. Then all of you appeared you left for a second then Jaegerjaquez-kun bit him and then-" She babbled.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and decided to ignore the garbage that was coming out of her mouth. Listening to her go on wasn't exactly productive. He lifted Ichigo up in his arms who was starting to fall asleep and stood so that he was standing and on the same level as everyone else in the room. Ichigo yelped and quickly wrapped his arms around his neck to prevent himself from falling. The shock vanished and he quickly protested that he could walk on his own, but Grimmjow ignored him noticing Ichigo's bloody bare feet and the fact that he was fighting to just stay awake.

"This was by far the strangest dream I have ever had. I can't seem to wake up though and the feeling of rope being wrapped around me felt so real."

Uryu looked over at Grimmjow for help. He shrugged and stared at him waiting for his suggestions. Uryu looked back at her concerned and confused look on her face that seemed to plead for Uryu to tell her if she wasn't crazy and that this was all a dream. He then sighed, his face filled with remorse.

"Can you wipe her memories?" He asked quietly.

Ichigo looked as Uryu before turning his head upwards to look at Grimmjow and then turning to look at Orihime. Orihime's big brown eyes filled up with tears as she looked between all of them. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew that she wasn't going to like what came next. She wasn't dumb enough to not understand what 'wipe her memories' meant. It was an instinctual reaction to not want to lose knowledge that was important for survival.

"Wait, isn't that a little harsh?" Ichigo asked. "That isn't fair. She deserves to know if she was put through this much." He remembered being in her position. His rational mind told him that it was best that he forgot about the existence of vampires, but the instinctual part of his brain didn't want to forget important information especially since he believed that his roommate could be a threat to his life. He came so far since then, but Orihime is different. She wasn't special and she was lucky for that reason. She can live a life without any exposure to that world. She was gifted the ability to live a normal life.

"It's okay Ichigo." Uryu said with sorrow in his voice. "I want her to know too, more than anything. I've wanted to tell her for years, but I know it's better for her to forget for now. We still have a bit of time till the semester ends and I don't want her to lose her mind within that time."

Ichigo still wanted to argue, but Grimmjow gave him a reassuring look, understanding how he was feeling. "Memory spells are weird. If something triggers her memory again it will probably come back. It isn't truly gone, just suppressed. If lover-boy feels like telling her then a cord will probably get hit and she'll remember everything that happened tonight, even if it is a bit gruesome."

Ichigo remained quiet still not fully onboard but understanding that it was the best option. He nodded his head in agreement. Grimmjow tore his attention from his boyfriend that was against his chest in his arms to lock eyes with the woman. Her teary gaze locked onto his crystal clear blue eyes as if she was in a trance and he said a word that Ichigo recognized from the night Grimmjow tried to do the same thing to him.

"Schalf."

She fell over limp into Uryu's arms, completely knocked out just like Ichigo was the first time he was exposed to that same spell. Uryu lifted her on his back and steadied her in a more comfortable position. She didn't suffer any major injuries and the rope burns on her wrists and ankles should be mostly gone by the time she wakes up with Uryu's treatment so it was safe for him to just drop her off in her room.

"You two should go down to health services. I want them to make sure Ichigo is thoroughly okay since he didn't exactly receive any treatment besides…whatever he did. You need to be looked at too and we'll give you some blood bags as compensation for the blood you lost when you were fighting." Uryu said struggling to open the door in front of him while balancing an unconscious girl that was practically the same size as him on his back.

Grimmjow followed Uryu out of the building in complete silence. He didn't know where the other two vampires were that came as backup. They were probably ahead of them on their way to get healed; either that or they were still looking for the vampires that ran off, especially Aizen. Who would have thought that that guy would retreat with his tail between his legs in such a graceful fashion? That guy was seriously all about appearance.

"I can walk by myself, you know?" Ichigo mumbled, turning his head to try and hide the blush that was starting to dust on his cheeks from the vampire that was carrying him.

"Yeah? I don't care. You're banged up all over, you're barefoot, and your feet are cut up. Give yourself a break, let me do the walking." He said readjusting him so that he had a better grip on him. He was pretty banged up too, but he would take another beating if it meant that Ichigo wouldn't get hurt anymore and also the view of Ichigo's embarrassed expression only motivated him more. There was nothing he loved more then to tease him and find ways to make him blush.

Ichigo didn't fight him, knowing that no matter how much he fought, Grimmjow was enjoying himself too much despite Ichigo's embarrassment. He was kind of used to Grimmjow's teasing and he didn't mind being held so close. He could let him get away with this, just this once.

The hallway was a complete wreck. Blood was trailed everywhere in splotches and foot prints, the walls were crumbling apart from so much force being thrown at them, papers littered the ground, and a large amount of sand layered the tiled floor to a point where it looked like a desert sandstorm left it's remains there. The thought that distracted Ichigo's mind from his roommate's strong arms was about how much trouble they were in. He was calculating every rule that was broken. Trespassing, destroying property, assault, use of a chemical without permission, he was curious how many times over they were expelled. They didn't need to worry about expulsion though; he was too busy trying to figure out how he was going to survive in an American prison.

Grimmjow seemed to have noticed as well, but he didn't seem as concerned. "Hey hunter," He called out.

"What now?" Uryu asked from up ahead, not bothering to turn around to face the vampire that was calling out to him.

"Can you keep the fact that I can perform Gran Rey Cero a secret? I don't want to deal with idiots wanting to challenge me to test their skills."

"Geez, as long as you don't cause any trouble with it then I don't see it as a valid piece of information. Behave and you'll be fine, but if you display that skill too much people will start to notice. Keep in mind that vampires from both the Hitsugaya and the Aizen clan are aware of that little secret of yours."

Grimmjow nodded despite the fact that Uryu wasn't able to see him. "I'm aware. I'll be careful. I've been able to keep it a secret till now so I'm used to tying up my loose ends whether it involves violence or negotiation."

* * *

Ichigo didn't want to go back to the health service building. He hated feeling cooped up and he just got out, but mostly he didn't want to worry anymore people. He didn't think Renji's heart would be able to take it if he is hospitalized again. If Grimmjow is also hospitalized he wasn't sure how Nel would react. Ichigo was exhausted, sore, and his feet were cut up, but despite all of that he felt fine. He even woke up after being exposed to vampirism again which was a lot better than what happened the first time.

He argued that he was fine and there was no point in worrying about him, but neither Grimmjow nor Uryu would hear any of that. He may have seemed fine, but there was no way a normal human can go through all of that even if he proved that he wasn't exactly normal.

Grimmjow needed to remind him that his bed was smashed in half and he should take it as an opportunity to sleep in a bigger bed. Grimmjow would have been fine cozying up with Ichigo in his own twin-sized extra-long bed, but with both of them being pretty banged up a full sized bed sounded better and reduced the chances of aggravating their wounds. It also meant that Ichigo would shut up and agree to get looked at.

Ichigo was assigned to the same room that he was in before. It frustrated him that he was sent there. He didn't need a reminder that he let himself be abducted twice. It felt as if he took one step forward and then two steps back, but he was walking on hot coals. Seriously, he only knew about vampires for a little over a week and within that time he was abducted more times than anyone should in a lifetime. He really hoped that this wouldn't be a reoccurring theme. The last thing he needed was to be Princess Peach from _Super Mario._

He protested when a hunter he didn't recognize tried to clean his wounds, saying that he could take care of himself. He was learning how to be a doctor. A little first aid was easy, but the hunter told him that he wasn't allowed to let a patient treat themselves and he should just relax while he took care of everything. He wanted to fight it, but he knew there was no point. He was a lot easier to give in then Grimmjow who was on the other side of the bed getting treated by a different hunter.

He was a lot louder and more resilient. He was way too obnoxious and rowdy for that time of night; he was going to wake someone up; there were other patients there. Ichigo grabbed a hold of his hand which made Grimmjow's protests stop. He looked at Ichigo wide-eyed, surprised from the unexpected contact that was initiated by Ichigo and his heart melted when he saw Ichigo's heartened smile. He quickly ignored the hunter that was poking at him as all the attention went to the warmth of Ichigo's hand against his. He was even able to ignore the terrible taste of the blood that was provided to him by the hunters. He craved Ichigo's, but he knew better than to take out any more blood from him since he already took a lot out when he was trying to suck out the venom. It tasted like water, ashes, and iron, but he didn't protest, knowing that Ichigo would be upset if he didn't drink something.

* * *

The light from the sun leaked into the hospital room where Ichigo and Grimmjow slept from the open windows and stroked Ichigo's cheek in warmth. Ichigo woke up first, recognizing the warmth that was against his back and the arm that was around his waist. He wasn't surprised to see that Grimmjow snuck out of his own room that was assigned to him to cozy up in his bed. Ichigo didn't mind being cuddled with and even enjoyed the closeness even if he would refuse to admit it out loud, though it did come with one problem. Grimmjow spooning him prevented him from moving and his body was way too hot for comfort.

Ichigo took a deep breath and slowly tried to lift Grimmjow's arm off of him, but he quickly got a growl as a response and tightened his grip around him, pulling the escaping Ichigo closer to him much to Ichigo's dismay.

"Noooo." He groaned closing his eyes tighter, fighting against the light that shined through his eyelids, trying to prevent him from going back to sleep.

"Come on, let go." Ichigo said.

"It's too early." He complained.

Ichigo reached for the bedside table that held his phone. With a bit of struggling and fruitless arm waving he was able to grab hold of the devise that was retrieved by the hunters when they asked if he wanted anything from his room.

"Too early my ass!" Ichigo responded trying to pry the resistant vampire's arm off of him and tried to lift it over his head. "It's freaking one in the afternoon. I'm going to be late for class!"

"What is your obsession with going to class?" Grimmjow groaned locking his hands together around Ichigo's waist to prevent him from struggling. "You literally learned that vampires exist in this world, been kidnapped twice, and you still manage to make school your first priority. I don't get your logic, help me out here." Grimmjow argued.

"There is no need to worry about that right now." A man said walking into the room. His footsteps made a weird clopping sound on the tiles of the floor from his wooden clogs. Who wears wooden clogs? He wore some kind of robe/cloak thing that draped over his back like a cape. Ichigo didn't know what it was but it looked like something that should only be worn around your house as lounge wear rather than something that should be worn in public. He had sandy colored- unable to differentiate between blond and brunet- shoulder length hair that was covered by a green and white bucket hat which casted a dark shadow over his face. He sat next to the bed where the couple was wrestling. "We need to talk about your enrollment here."

Grimmjow immediately jumped in front of Ichigo, intimidated by the man that he didn't even sense come into the room. He gave off no smell and he didn't sense any energy coming off of him. "Who the hell are you?" He growled out.

Ichigo took him by the shoulder and pulled him away from the random guy that he was challenging for no apparent reason. He didn't know who this guy was either, but he definitely didn't pose a threat if the hunters let him in and if he wanted to talk about his enrollment with him he must be some kind of staff at the school. Someone who was higher up that held their fates in his hands. This guy was totally going to expel them or even send them to prison.

"I'm the guy who is in charge of the program here. You can say that I'm the dean or something. Heck I don't even know what to call myself, not that I ever really cared for labels" The mysterious man said pulling out a fan and covering up half of his already covered face. "My name is Kisuke Urahara."

Ichigo thought back. He totally heard that name before. He's seen it a few times on the home page of the school website, and he received emails that were intended for every student on that campus from him. He knew that was where he learned his name, but it still had an odd familiarity to it and he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it eased him and soothed whatever nerves he had.

"Now for starters you probably have a lot of questions, but I'm not here for them. We need to talk about the future for you two and this program."

Grimmjow's eyes were fixed on him with the intensity of a panther, still on edge from the battle the night before and ready to pounce if needed. He didn't fully understand why Ichigo was so calm around a complete stranger. He was still too naïve after everything that happened. Even if Ichigo expected what was coming next that didn't leave any excuse to let his guard down.

"Let's talk about Aizen. He survived and managed to escape. The hunters went looking for him, but all of his stuff was gone from his room and he was nowhere to be found. He's smart; he knows how to disappear off the radar. Szayelaporro, Harribel, and Ichimaru have disappeared as well. We found the remains of both Yammy and Tosen. They were both students here and someone has been sent to clean out their rooms as well as make up an excuse for their disappearance."

Ichigo recognized the names of the vampires that held him captive, but he could tell from Grimmjow's expression that he had no idea who these people were, nor did he care. Knowing him he probably charged in without any idea on what he was up against, not that he was given the time to do the research.

"Last night I sent two other vampires as backup. Both of them are fine and were taken care of last night. They are in the room next door if you want to talk to them. Grimmjow, I am hinting to you that it might be best for you to start making some friends and resolve some stuff that wasn't settled." Urahara said knowingly.

Grimmjow growled and turned his nose up at the suggestion. He was planning on talking to them anyway since they probably knew that he can perform the Gran Rey Cero. He didn't need to follow some stranger's orders, but he was right even though he had no idea how he would know about that. Ichigo on the other hand had no idea that there were others. It made sense since there was no way Grimmjow and Uryu could take on so many opponents at once, but he didn't really know any other vampires that could help out in that situation besides Nel and it seemed that it wasn't her.

"Now let's talk about your enrollment here." Urahara said. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Ichigo gritted his teeth. He expected that they would be in trouble, but seriously it seemed that there was a problem with the American school system since it had a habit of expelling the victim along with the offender. He wanted to explain that he was just abducted from his room, but it seemed that he knew that already. It seriously wasn't fair that he was getting the axe.

The man with the sandy hair read Ichigo's expression and started to wave his hand as he realized that he misunderstood. "No no, don't think of this as expulsion. You'll still get all of your credits and nothing bad will show on your records. Heck, I'll convince your professors to give you A's, but you need to leave. It's way too dangerous here."

Ichigo's eyes furrowed. "What are you talking about? That's a terrible reason to kick me out." He complained. "I want to finish my classes. Thanks for offering me the good grades, but I don't like being awarded things that I didn't work for."

"Ha," Grimmjow laughed, tired of being on edge about a guy that clearly posed no threat. "That's so like you."

"Ichigo, you really should accept a power up when you are offered one. Don't think of it as being kicked out; think of it as being awarded an early vacation." He said. "Also your powers seem to be awakening and this is not the proper environment for you to learn how to control them. You're going to need to go home to Japan."

Ichigo's eyes grew in his head. "Wait, you know what that was? Do you know what all of this is?" He asked completely baffled.

Kisuke shook his head. "He really didn't tell you anything? That's so like him, alright Ichigo, looks like I'm going to have to be the one to break it to you." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked.

"Ichigo, I'm not sure you are going to believe me when I say this, but you are a shinigami."

* * *

 **A/N: I like plot twists. I've been planning them this entire time too so I'm not just making stuff up. Kubo is what I aspire to be when it comes to crazy plot twists. We all like _Bleach_ so you all probably know what I'm taking about. At this point this story is around as long as _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ so I'm sorry to throw this in now. **

**Also just a reminder that the vampire concept in this fic is my original idea and the same thing will apply to shinigami. Don't start protesting when the laws of shinigami are different then what you're used to. At least they aren't going to sparkle in sunlight.**

 **Review and stuff to to show your appreciation of my stupid idea to post while in a hotel room on a mountain. Also sorry for talking for so long.  
**


	16. Chapter 16

I'm so sorry for the late update, but things are still kind of hectic and I'm way behind on my writing. The puppies are doing great, but I'm taking care of them by myself so I don't have a lot of time to write. I miss posting and I know it is a bad idea for me to post now, but I feel bad for making you guys wait and I don't want you guys to forget about this story.

* * *

Chapter 16

Ichigo looked at him dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It didn't make any sense. This wasn't _Ble_ -wait, never mind.

"I'm a what?" Damn he felt like Harry Potter right now. If he thought his reality was shattered before then it was completely gone now. He had no choice to believe what he was hearing despite him not exactly being cloaked like the Grim Reaper and he definitely didn't look anything like Ryuk from _Death Note._

Grimmjow looked back and forth between the two. "Wait, are you trying to tell me that Ichigo is a death god? I've only heard about them in stories. Are they seriously real?"

"Wait, how the hell do you know what shinigami are? You grew up in Germany, shinigami legends are Japanese." Ichigo questioned. Wasn't this getting a bit too complicated? About a week or so ago he learned that vampires were real as well as the existence of hunters, and that one of his best friends was one and the other one was planning to marry her and turn into one as well. Now there was this new information that was coming out of left field. Isn't this a bit too crazy?

Now that he thought about it, whenever Uryu talked he never explicitly said 'the existence of vampires' he always said 'the existence of the supernatural' like there was more than just vampires. He never really thought too much about it. There was no way he was able to conclude that shinigami existed!

"What do you want me to call it, soul reaper? I lived for around two hundred years. That's enough time to learn a few languages and cultures." Grimmjow groaned.

"Not long enough to know that shinigami exist apparently." Ichigo mumbled under his breath.

The sandy-haired man cleared his throat bringing the attention back on him. "Back to the topic at hand, I'm pretty sure this is all new to you, but no one ever said that vampires are the only other supernatural thing out there. There are spirits too, and of course when there are spirits there are shinigami." He commented, getting up from his chair and turning his back towards the two on the bed. His cloak whipped outwards over-dramatically.

"Of course there is an entire other story for them too, but I think I've told you enough. This isn't something that I should be teaching you. This is something you should learn from experience, not taught by some guy you've just met." As he was about to leave the room he turned around. "I bought you both tickets to go back to Japan tomorrow night. Make sure you're packed."

The door shut behind him. Grimmjow blinked a few times and turned back to Ichigo. "Looks like I am coming with you. If he didn't get me a ticket I would have gotten one myself, but it looks like I didn't need to put in the extra effort."

Ichigo's mind was swimming. He didn't even realize Grimmjow said anything, allowing himself to fall backwards onto the bed and covering his eyes with his arm. He had to get used to everything fast. He had no idea what it meant to be a shinigami. He never associated himself with death. He never went into a Goth faze and this was the first time he ever realized that he had powers. He seriously hoped that he wasn't destined to be something that fought against humanity. It sounded ridiculous, an aspiring doctor being a god of death.

Death has a very negative connotation. Humans have accepted that death is inevitable, but they still fear it more than anything. We have no idea what comes after so we just make up stories to bring comfort, but there is no way to prove that those stories are true, the only explanation being 'faith.'

He had no idea what that guy meant when he said that he had to try and figure out his powers by himself. Most of the time he used his powers by instinct, the only one he knew how to control was the one that worked kinda like the Unrelenting Force shout from _Skyrim._ Seriously, it's not like he could just Google search shinigami or rent a book from the library on them. He never heard of Ryuk doing anything like this. Aren't shinigami's jobs carrying souls of the dead to the other side? He never did anything like that nor did he have the desire to. He was confused, but one person came to mind that he could ask for help.

Ichigo lay silently in the hospital bed with his arms on either side of him and focused on trying to go back to his inner world. He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew he needed to start from somewhere. The cliché action was meditation right? It is a stupidly overused method in fantasy stories with this sort of thing, but he needed to start from somewhere.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Grimmjow asked. "Didn't you hear me?"

"I'm trying to do something. Can you go talk to those vampires or something? That guy suggested you go make some new friends and I need to figure out this shinigami shit."

Ichigo felt him get up off the bed and heard the door close, leaving him alone in his room.

He eventually fell asleep since meditation while lying down tends to lead to that, but when he woke up he was surrounded by the blue sky. He lifted himself off the side of the building, and looked around. He was alone, but he was definitely in his inner world. How he got there he had no idea. Apparently meditation was the answer. How cliché, but that was nothing new. He intended to go there, but he wanted to go mainly because he wanted to talk to the guy he met though he couldn't see him anywhere. He couldn't be too far, right?

"Hey." Ichigo called out into the distance, but nobody came, he didn't even hear the echo of his own voice. He didn't feel alone though as if he was being watched at a distance. Oddly enough Ichigo didn't feel weird from that like a normal person would. "I know you are here, but where are you?"

"Over here." A voice said. Ichigo turned around to see his clone standing behind him.

"Geez, why didn't you come out when I called you the first time?" Ichigo asked.

"I was curious to see if ya knew ma name." He said. "I'm a little disappointed that ya left before I finished talkin'."

Ichigo felt a pang of guilt. He didn't remember what happened, but he woke up to Grimmjow shaking him. He didn't know who this guy was, but if he wasn't just some sort of inner voice shit and was a real entity with his own name then he probably treat him like he would anyone else.

"Can you tell me what your name is now then?" Ichigo asked.

"Nah," He said. "Ya gotta prove yerself all over again."

Out of nowhere a sword appeared in his other self's hand and he threw it towards Ichigo. He immediately dove out of the way sweat running down his neck, trailing down his back and his eyes grew as large as saucers.

"What the hell? That's so dangerous! Who the hell passes a sword like that?" He yelled at the figure standing away from him. Usually Ichigo wouldn't take such a familiar tone with someone he just met, but for some reason he felt like he knew this guy forever and didn't mind being a little rude to him like he would an old friend or a family member.

"Ya can't get hurt in yer own inner world, King," The guy shrugged. "Come on, pick it up."

Ichigo looked at the sword that was lying a few feet away from him. He never held a sword before and he didn't know what was expected of him. He walked over and picked it up carefully, unsure of what to do next as he gripped onto the end.

"Great now, fight me." The figure said dashing towards him, another sword appearing in his hand mid-dash.

Ichigo's hands immediately became clammy holding the grip of the sword. He brought it up in front of him, automatically blocking the incoming attack which caused his blood to drain from the face as he was pushed back from the ferociousness of the attack.

"Hold on! I don't know how to fight with a sword! Why should I be fighting you?" Ichigo yelled at the face that was now inches in front of him that now held an evil smile and deep dark eyes that was filled with the intent to kill. They really looked alike. They were the same height and had the same definition of his muscles. The only difference was the way he was colored and his expression was way more aggressive than his. It really was surreal to look at him, but here he was proving that he did have a physical form, at least in his inner world.

"Yer actions don' match yer words." His clone said clanging off of the sword in Ichigo's hand. "If ya don' wanna fight with a sword then fight with yer voice."

The swords disappeared from both of their grasps and Ichigo's clone let out an inaudible shout, but coming from it was a large blast of wind. Ichigo was launched sideways down towards the bottom of the building. He slid against the walls and tumbled before he came to a stop flat on his back.

He wasn't hurt, but he was a little shaken. He thought that they could be friends, but it seems that he wasn't planning on getting along just yet. This guy definitely had a fickle personality.

"What is the point of us fighting?" Ichigo asked again pulling himself off the horizontal wall and bracing himself for another voice attack. He wasn't expecting the other to use the same kind of attack he does, but it made sense. This guy was him after all, isn't he?

"Do ya honestly think that a complete stranger would be ya best friend if ya ask fer their name? Guess ya never really were good at makin' friends." He responded. "Ya ask ma name and ya didn' hear it. Personally, I don' mind not doin' things in order. So fer the first time ever let's try ta do things ma way."

He attacked him again, but Ichigo was prepared for it he pushed against it and slid back a few inches rather than being blown back completely, he was already losing ground. Ichigo was able to shove past it and he attempted to try to use the same attack. He succeeded.

His opponent was able to push past it though creating a wedge with two of his hands, splitting the blast and making it part like the red sea.

"Good ta see that ya remembered how ta do that, though a shinigami never fergets how ta call out their power. That isn' gonna be enough ta beat me though. Think back, that wasn' the first time ya used yer powers."

Yeah, Ichigo used his powers before, always unknowingly. He was able to resist Grimmjow's and Kaname's spells and he was able to fight off the others while he was in the science lab. He mended Grimmjow's arm somehow. It didn't seem like a power suited for a supposed shinigami, a god of death, but he was glad that he was able to do it.

"Can ya really not think 'bout it?" His clone asked charging towards Ichigo, but not with his voice ready, but his fist. "I'm disappointed since I've been 'ere yer entire life."

Ichigo blocked his fist, for the first time actually making physical contact with him. His hand felt cold like he went outside in the cold winter without gloves and even though he was fighting against him he felt a little comfort from the feeling of his flesh. He didn't really feel threatened by him no matter how scary and intimidating his clone was.

Ichigo was kicked swiftly in the stomach. His opponent had a very similar fighting style to him as if he seriously was a clone of him. You'd think that it would be easier to fight because he would know what to expect, but it was actually difficult. He knew what was coming, but he didn't know how to stop it. He had to look for the faults in his own fighting style to be able to square off against him. It was like he was insulting himself.

That was when he realized that he has always had his powers. When he fought against Yammy he was able to punch him without feeling the same pain he felt when he first slapped Grimmjow or fought against Aizen, Grimmjow's tracking spell became less and less effective over time, he was able to heal a lot faster after being attacked by vampire venom. Originally he slept for three days, but after that he woke up as soon as he fought it off.

This guy was trying to make him remember his last fist fight. The fight he had yesterday with Yammy. It was a weird fight since he should have come out completely broken, but he didn't even chip a bone. The guy tackled him and broke his bed in half, but he was fine. Not only that, he was able to perform maneuvers that he never did before. He remembered the sensation of the time slowing down around him. Was that one of his powers too? There was only one way to find out.

Ichigo's eyes intensified on his copy that was brawling with him, and there it was. His peripheral vision blurred as he focused on the enemy in front of him. He could see through every attack that he was throwing and Ichigo saw every fault in his fighting style. It was kind of depressing to see his weaknesses. He saw an opening when his opponent threw a right hook on the back of his forearm. Ichigo shoved to the side knocking him off balance before kicking him in the stomach.

His opponent slid back with a lecherous smile plastered across his face. "Ya figured it out, huh?"

Ichigo nodded, his vision returned to normal and it seemed that the flow of time did as well. "I think I did. You've always been there, huh? I don't know who you are, but you've seen everything and drove my instinct whenever I fought. Even if it was just a street fight I always came out on top because of you. You seriously were always there."

His clone plopped down into a sitting position. "Thanks fer the flattery." He said. "Ya still don' know who I am, but it's a start even if took ya two hours to get there."

Ichigo backtracked. He didn't even realize he was there for so long. He got so lost in the fight that he didn't notice time fly by. His perception of time must have been screwed up while he was there. He had no idea that he was there for so long even though it only felt like a couple of minutes. He's never fought for that long before and he didn't feel any fatigue. Probably for the same reason he couldn't feel any pain, this was all in his head.

"Shinigami always have ta adapt ta the world around them. The rules change on Earth all the time. Even the way people come inta this world is changin', but the law of death will always exist and it will always work the same way. It is impossible ta be truly immortal. The true power of a shinigami is the power ta change."

"What's your name?" Ichigo asked again.

"I guess ya deserve to hear it." His clone said closing one eye and yawning. "It's Zangetsu, nice ta meet ya."

Ichigo looked at him oddly. The name sounded familiar like he has heard it before. This guy was seriously always there for him, wasn't he? Even though he was also kind of an ass, Ichigo has learned to put up with assholes since he had one as a roommate and now a boyfriend. He couldn't help, but feel a bit of comfort from the name. Something didn't feel right about it though.

"It feels a little weird to call you that." Ichigo admitted. "Can I call you Shiro or something?"

"Why the fuck would ya call me that?" He asked. "That ain't ma name."

"I don't know why, but I feel like a lot of people would get upset if I called you that, either that or it would confuse them and make things more complicated. What's wrong with Shiro?" Ichigo stated.

"It's so boring. It literally means 'white.' How uncreative can ya be?"

"There is nothing wrong with a simple nickname." Ichigo protested.

"Why are ya so hung up on 'Shiro'?" The white man asked switching positions so that he was lying down and closing his eyes. "Yer the only one who can hear me so no one knows about ma existence. Ma name is Zangetsu and if somehow someone tells ya ta call me Shiro tell them ta fuck off."

"I guess you're right, but I'm still gonna call you Shiro. Look I don't need to cause any problems and it's harmless. Don't worry about it." Ichigo said sitting down besides his clone.

The other opened his eyes lazily. "Whateva ya want, King. Get outta here already."

* * *

Ichigo's eyes shot opened to see the white ceiling of the hospital room. Sitting by his bed was Kisuke Urahara who just seemed to let himself in. He wore a smug smile when he saw Ichigo's dazed expression.

"Welcome back, it seems that you've figured something out." He said.

Ichigo sat up and turned his body over so that his feet hung over the side of the bed. He felt his head sting a little, protesting that he take things a bit slowly.

"Easy there, you aren't used to that transition yet."

Ichigo ignored him and looked at the dean. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask, but he knew this guy wasn't planning on telling him anything. It seemed that Shiro wasn't exactly the talking kind so it seemed that he really did need to figure it out. Maybe there will be situations where more of his powers make themselves known. He really hoped not since he only used his powers when he was in danger or in a desperate situation. He wasn't so curious that he wished harm on himself just so he can learn more about his powers.

"How do you know all of this?" He asked.

"Oh, curious are you? Sorry, it's still too early for you to learn that." He said opening his fan to cover his face. It was so frustrating to have all of the answers right in front of him, but this guy didn't plan to tell him anything. What was so magical about learning all this shit for himself?

"As much fun as it seems to talk about your discoveries I'm not here for that now." Urahara said. "I'm here to give you your tickets. I've called your dad already and he said that he would be able to pick you up from the airport when you land."

Ichigo nodded, first questioning how he was able to call his dad before quickly answering his own question, emergency contact number. How many instances has he been in where that number should have been called? The first time the school is actually using it is when he needs to be picked up? That's pretty messed up, but it makes sense if they are trying to keep the entire vampire school thing a secret.

"I've talked to your professors already and they've already transferred your credits over. A lot of them protested, but now you have A's in all of your classes. It looks like your GPA is going to get a large boost."

Ichigo nodded. He was a little disappointed that he didn't get to spend more time with his friends and he was going to leave while Izuru was still out of commission. He wanted to be there when Rukia came over and turned Renji and he wanted to introduce her to everyone.

He was excited to go home and see Rukia before she took off herself and he didn't see his sisters in so long. On the verge of vampirism he even begrudgingly admitted that he missed his dorky dad, but now that he was out of danger he wasn't going to let himself think like that. It was too sappy.

It made sense that he was in danger there and it would be safer in his hometown. He may have had powers now, but he still didn't fully understand how to use them yet or how well he'll fair against vampires, even if Grimmjow was there offering him support.

He did fear what was waiting for him there though. If Aizen disappeared from this school then he may have went home also he thought for sure he would be dragged to Germany with Grimmjow. He still wasn't that sure about whether he was okay with going to Germany or even if he should become a vampire or not. Now that he learned that he was a shinigami he was even more confused. Can shinigami even become vampires? He did suffer vampirism twice, but he wasn't sure if vampirism has a different rule that applies to him.

"I've talked with my dad." Grimmjow said. "I told him that I'm leaving to go to Japan for a bit. I'll make sure nothing bad happens."

"Wait, you're coming with me?" Ichigo asked.

"I literally said that I was like two hours ago, but you told me to leave you alone." Grimmjow groaned. "Heck even this guy said he bought me a plane ticket too."

A warmth filled Ichigo's chest. He was happy that he didn't have to go home alone and it was reassuring to have Grimmjow come with him. He didn't feel safe when he was alone especially since Aizen escaped and he didn't want to give up his relationship that was just starting to blossom.

Ichigo turned back to Urahara and admitted something that he probably shouldn't have. "I feel like if I get A's in all of my classes it's cheating."

Grimmjow interrupted. "If you say something stupid like 'I don't feel like I deserve being given free credits and a raised GPA' or 'I'm in college to learn,' I'll be really pissed off."

Ichigo blushed. Was his personality that easy to predict at this point? It seemed like it since Grimmjow held his temples when he saw his blushing face, knowing that he hit the nail on the head.

"I fucking knew it." He groaned under his breath.

A grin spread across Urahara's face as well. His mouth was covered by his fan and his eyes were shadowed by his hat, but Ichigo could feel him beaming at them. Was he silently shipping them? Ichigo just met this guy, but it seems that he figured out this guy was some sort of closet pervert.

"Like I said, I bought two plane tickets. I knew you wouldn't want to leave Ichigo so early and I'm pretty sure Stark would have wanted you to pursue him if you truly think you love him." Urahara said, pulling out two slips of paper and boarding passes. Ichigo wasn't going to ask how this guy was able to get tickets in their names, but he wasn't going to ask questions. It'll be too complicated. "Pack your things and say goodbye to your friends. You are leaving tomorrow morning."

* * *

Both Ichigo and Grimmjow were released from the health service building after Urahara left. Their injuries weren't serious enough to justify them staying there and they needed to get a head start on packing.

Grimmjow's largest injury, his detached arm, was taken care of by Ichigo miraculously by his new found powers the night before. Now that he was replaying the event in his head though that power doesn't exactly seem like a power a supposed death god should poses. He wasn't complaining though. Ichigo originally had a bunch of scrapes, splinters, and broken glass lodged in his skin, but it was taken care of the night before.

Usually they would put up a fight if a patient wanted to leave before they were ready even if they found that there was no point to staying there. They were probably stressed since after the battle there were no more available beds left with five more bed being filled just after last night.

The door to their room was replaced. Somehow between the time Grimmjow ran off to rescue Ichigo and the time they got back maintenance took care of everything. Even more miraculous though was that nothing was stolen from their room. It was true that the hunters went to their room to retrieve any stuff that they wanted for the night. It seemed like while they were there they ordered a new door to be put up and made sure that no greedy night owls stepped into their room.

The only thing that was missing was Ichigo's destroyed bed. Ichigo's suitcase that was hidden under the bed was there though with his bed sheets, comforter, and pillow was folded on top of it. Miraculously his suitcase wasn't destroyed when the bed collapsed onto it with both Yammy and Ichigo on top.

Grimmjow wrapped his arms around Ichigo's waist when he shut and locked the door behind them. He nuzzled himself in his neck and felt Ichigo's skin heat up under his touch. A smile stretched across his face as he slightly rocked with him in his arms.

"Looks like this'll be our last night as roommates." He said gruffly.

"Yeah," Ichigo said silently.

Grimmjow held the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss. He still didn't tell Ichigo his intentions of making him stay with him so he had no choice, but to slowly convince him. He didn't have any complaints though. It was an excuse to be flirty with him.

"It's a good thing that you are mostly packed already from when you had that freak out. Now we have more time to ourselves before we leave tomorrow." Grimmjow said pulling away slightly from Ichigo before diving back into a more passionate kiss that only lasted a second. "Whatcha wanna do?"

Ichigo's laugh was stifled by Grimmjow's lips. He knew what he was implying. Grimmjow knew it was selfish of him to be demanding of Ichigo when he knew that he wanted to say goodbye to his friends. He may have wanted to check to see if that large breasted girl he was locked up with was okay, though Grimmjow wasn't exactly fond of her.

He might have wanted to visit or leave a note for the guy that was attacked or ask how the hunter and the hunter wanna-be were doing especially since the hunter was also hospitalized after the fight yesterday. He probably wanted most of all was to talk to his best friend and apologize for bailing on him after he learned all his deep secrets just to leave when he was about to be turned. It would probably be best if he talked to Nel himself since their dad asked her to keep an eye on him to make sure he stayed out of trouble. She didn't exactly do that well of a job.

Grimmjow ignored all these factors following his own lust. The night before hyped up his adrenaline and now that Aizen disappeared off of the map it was now settling on him how happy he was to see that Ichigo was safe and in his arms once again. He didn't know what the future held for them, but he could make that moment feel like it didn't matter.

"Pack," Ichigo said plainly.

Grimmjow let go of him and laughed, holding his forehead as he threw his head back. He never changed. He knew Ichigo wasn't the lovey-dovey type and typically he wasn't either. He was never in a real relationship and he definitely wanted to try acting more passionate, but he couldn't help but love when Ichigo acted shyly or realistically. It made him easy to predict and that made it fun to mess with him since he knew that he would get a reaction out of him.

Grimmjow knew that he was acting in self-defense, not that he needed defending rather his pride did. He could tell by looking at the pink color tinting his skin that he was embarrassed just thinking about what Grimmjow had in mind. Grimmjow couldn't help, but drink it in, though he did wish he was drinking something else though.

He was able to swallow the blood that was provided to him in the health service building and even managed to not gag too much, but he seriously wanted Ichigo's blood again. His stomach still felt empty and he felt unsatisfied though that could be fixed easily.

His eyes darkened and he tried his hardest to not to inspect every movement his partner made which immediately became apparent to Ichigo and it was hard for him to ignore.

"You're still hungry aren't you?" He asked. He spoke in a level headed voice like he was talking to a feral animal. He wasn't completely wrong since his smell was enough for Grimmjow to run completely wild.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. The stuff they gave me was total crap and I wasn't completely satisfied." Grimmjow said.

He didn't need to say anything more. Ichigo slid his shirt over his head, his face flushing a bright red color as he shyly hugged himself to somewhat hide his chest. "Alright, just don't take too much okay."

Grimmjow didn't need to be told twice. He immediately grabbed Ichigo by his hips, rubbing small circles into his sides. As he nuzzled his face into Ichigo's neck, leaving small kisses before biting down.

Ichigo's breath hitched as Grimmjow drank his blood slowly, restraining himself from being too greedy. Ichigo bit his lips down to stifle a moan and shuttered. Grimmjow's lips pulled into a smile and he rubbed his hands up and down Ichigo's sides. Ichigo shivered from Grimmjow's cold hands, but he leaned into the touch, desiring more.

Grimmjow broke off and pulled Ichigo into a kiss, pushing his tongue past his lips. Grimmjow felt Ichigo's tongue rub up against his and soon they were fighting for dominance, but Grimmjow wasn't planning on losing and from the way Ichigo acted it didn't seem like he was planning to either.

He pushed Ichigo down on his bed, placing a hand on his chest as he towered over him. His eyes still looked hungry, but this time it wasn't for blood. He climbed on top of Ichigo and removed his own shirt. Ichigo didn't protest when he pressed his pelvis into his own showing that he was already getting hard. He tore open Ichigo's mouth with his own again, thrusting his tongue in as he ran his hands up and down Ichigo's muscular sides, stomach, and chest.

He broke away from the kiss to lean down and kiss him on the neck, chest, and stomach. Each kiss caused tiny sparks of pleasure that heated up Ichigo's skin. Ichigo wrapped his hands around him and tangled his fingers into his hair. His eyes half lidded and clouding in a daze of lust and desire.

Grimmjow tugged at Ichigo's pajama pants that he's been wearing since the night before sending sparks of realization through the orange-haired man.

"Wait." He called out untangling his hands from Grimmjow's head a pink blush evident on his skin.

Grimmjow snapped out of his hunger and looked at his boyfriend square in the face.

"How did we even get here?" Ichigo asked. "One second ago you were drinking my blood and the next thing I know I'm on your bed with you on top of me and we are in an intense make out session. This happened last time too."

Grimmjow snapped Ichigo's waistband back in place, causing Ichigo to flinch. "It was the heat of the moment. Having your blood be taken by a vampire acts as an aphrodisiac. It's an evolution thing that makes humans not resist so much and since I'm not a purebred it also kind of affects me." He exhaled, the smell of iron carrying with his breath.

Ichigo looked at him hesitantly before wrapping his arms around Grimmjow again and pulled him in for another kiss. Grimmjow looked at him with a confused expression.

"Are you sure?" He asked a lecherous grin taking over his face.

"Yeah, just do it before I change my mind." Ichigo said turning bright red.

Grimmjow immediately took advantage of the go ahead, gripping Ichigo's pants and pulling them down. Ichigo lifted his hips to help the one above him pull his clothing down. Grimmjow took the discarded clothing and threw them to the side before he busied himself with his own pants.

Ichigo turned away a blush very evident on his face, trying to ignore his boyfriend's impressive package and his own perking up in interest. Grimmjow face held an evil expression after getting an idea. He repositioned himself so that he was kneeling in between Ichigo's legs. Though the mattress was a cheap one it seemed that Ichigo didn't quite catch on yet, still having a staring contest with the wall and winning just so he can distract himself from the embarrassment that was sure to come next.

Grimmjow licked his lips and wrapped his hand around Ichigo's length. He heard Ichigo's breath struggle to escape him and his skin turned a different shade of red. He was so cute, Grimmjow's smirk stretched from ear to ear as he leaned down slowly, opening his mouth, sticking his tongue out before running his tongue down the underside of his cock.

Ichigo nearly hopped out of his skin from the unexpected wet contact, barely able to contain the moan that poured out of his mouth. "Wait." He cried out. His eyes grew as he looked at Grimmjow who wasn't hiding his grin when he ran his tongue from base to tip. Ichigo let out a small shaky breath and his cock twitched in interest, encouraging Grimmjow to continue despite Ichigo being too timid to voice his opinion.

He started off painfully slow, testing to see how the smaller male reacted when he licked long lines from the base to the tip. He was incredibly sensitive and Grimmjow enjoyed seeing how he reacted. Taking the tip into his mouth, running his tongue over the slit and watching as Ichigo gripped the bed sheets that he was lying on and letting out a moan, not even trying to contain them anymore.

Ichigo tried to resist jerking upwards into Grimmjow's mouth and as a reward Grimmjow went further down on him. Ichigo squeezed his hands on the bed sheets that was underneath him and let out a slow gasp from Grimmjow's slow pace. Grimmjow took more of Ichigo into his mouth his mouth was wet and heated making Ichigo go completely insane from the way Grimmjow wrapped his tongue around him.

Grimmjow looked upwards and met with Ichigo's lust filled eyes and his dick twitched just from looking at Ichigo's erotic expression. His eyes twinkled in excitement, wanting to see more of his cute reactions. He sunk down further on Ichigo's length continuing until he hit the back of his throat.

Ichigo nearly cried out separating his clutch from the bed sheets to cover his mouth to prevent him from screaming. Ichigo's senses were going out of whack from the sensation. He felt a tightening sensation signaling that he was about to blow his load.

"Wait, Grimmjow. I'm going to cum." He whimpered pulling his hand out of his mouth that was now covered in bite marks.

Grimmjow looked up at him to see the desperate expression on Ichigo's face. He was so much more expressive and embarrassed this time then he was last time, and Grimmjow absolutely loved it. Grimmjow ignored Ichigo's warning and pulled up all the way to the tip before bobbing his head back down again.

"Grimmjow, wait." He cried out before climaxing into his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut riding the wave of pleasure and blushing profusely from embarrassment.

Grimmjow drank it all and licked the remainder of what was on his lips. Ichigo blushed profusely till he was a dark rose color while he watched him despite wanting to crawl under the covers to hide.

"Wow, you taste good down their too. I'm not surprised since your blood is the best thing I've ever tasted." Grimmjow said making Ichigo cringe even more in embarrassment, trying to hide his face with his hands.

Grimmjow grabbed a hold of them and pulled them away from his face. "Don't hide." Grimmjow said with a smirk "at least not yet."

Grimmjow started to pay attention to his own member. He grasped it roughly in his hands and started to jerk off while watching Ichigo's expression. Ichigo turned away, but Grimmjow barked at him to bring his attention back on him.

Soon Grimmjow released his own load, covering Ichigo's naked body and face. Ichigo gave him a blank stare and his face scrunched up. Grimmjow gave him a self-satisfied look as he stroked his member a few more times until it went back to its flaccid state.

Ichigo's face was blank with horror as he tried to process what just happened and he spoke just one word. "Why?"

"Because I like the look on you," Grimmjow admitted.

Ichigo got up and grabbed some tissues from his bedside table to clean himself off.

"No not yet, it looks so good." Grimmjow teased. "At least let me get a picture."

Ichigo glared at him harshly and wiped himself off before grabbing his shower stuff muttering about a certain perverted, blue-haired vampire.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm still in a weird place right now so it would mean a whole lot if you reviewed. I still have a lot of stuff going on so reviews encourage me so much to write since I'm starting to feel a bit rusty. Once again, I'm still irregular so following is the best way to know when the next update is out.**


	17. Chapter 17

I'm not really ready to be posting regularly and if you read my other story, Resentment, then you know that I've been going through some stuff right now. There is a reason why I am posting despite not exactly being ready to post yet and that reason is that the _Fairy Tail_ manga just ended and I know that there has to be at least a few of you that also read it. I hope this can cheer you guys up at least slightly and for the ones that didn't know it ended this is me spreading some awareness for the few people who actually read this story and the even fewer that read what I write before the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 17

Grimmjow was right. It was a good thing that he started packing already. He had plenty of time to finish packing, say goodbye to his friends, and shower so that he can process his shame.

He managed to say goodbye to all of his friends minus Izuru who was still knocked out. Orihime didn't remember the night before and was shocked when she learned that Ichigo and Grimmjow were leaving early. Ichigo originally thought that it was harsh that they decided to wipe her memory, but after he saw her and she was her usual bubbly self he thought it was for the best.

She didn't figure out that they were leaving together and that both of them were going to Ichigo's home town in Japan rather than Ichigo going alone and Grimmjow going home to Germany.

She looked very upset to see her crush go before she could confess her feelings. It was a good thing too since he didn't know what his possessive boyfriend would do if she said anything to him and he couldn't find it in his heart to tell her that he was already in a relationship. After getting her memories wiped she didn't manage to remember that he was off limits.

Shuuhei apparently found a teacher to help achieve his new found goal of becoming a hunter. Apparently the guy who scouted a teacher for him was Urahara. That guy seemed to have a hand in everything. It made sense since he was the one who was in charge of the entire program.

Ichigo told him the Aizen threat was gone and that the one that attacked his best friend also escaped and her whereabouts were unknown. That didn't throw a bone into his new passion though. He even seemed more excited to get started rather than being full of remorse for Izuru. Yes, he was still sad for his best friend, but now that he knew about this hidden world his curiosity was spiked.

He wasn't there for revenge. He wanted to make sure nobody else got hurt and learn more about the secrets that no common person knew. He said that he couldn't rest knowing about the supernatural that took place in the world so he wanted to dip his toes in to learn more. Whenever he learned something new he wanted to learn more about it. Being a hunter fit him; he liked to try new things.

Uryu didn't say much he just kind of nodded in understanding and told them to have a safe flight. He was finally allowed to leave the health services building, but he had to revisit every twelve hours to make sure his bandages were in place or if he needed new painkillers. Even though they went through a lot together over the past few days he was still as quiet as ever. He was probably still down about having to wipe Orihime's memories. It was probably going to be boring having dinner with just her, Shuuhei, and Renji. Things were really going to be a lot quieter without him and Grimmjow there.

Surprisingly Renji wasn't upset. Ichigo told him about what happened in the natural science building and that was what upset Renji the most. He was frustrated for not even knowing what was happening and not being able to do anything again. He wanted Ichigo to be safe; he realized when he got abducted the first time that this place was too dangerous, but he didn't want to be left alone. He felt selfish, but Ichigo reassured him that if he didn't go on the program they wouldn't have been able to see each other and he wouldn't have been able to meet Grimmjow.

He told Renji that he was a shinigami despite not knowing too much about it either. He felt crazy saying it out loud. He considered not telling him until he got home and learned more about his powers and about Shiro, but he didn't want to keep any secrets from him and maybe he would have known something. He didn't which wasn't surprising considering Grimmjow who has been around for a lot longer didn't know anything either. He was just as surprised to hear about the existence of shinigami as he was. He wanted to see Ichigo flourish his new found powers, but he knew that it was best if he didn't protest and it was best for him to just go home.

Grimmjow didn't have a lot to pack. By the time Ichigo and Nel got back to the room he was already finished and sitting on top of his bare mattress waiting for him to get back. Urahara knocked on their door while they were talking casually not long after the two arrived. Urahara was going to give them a ride to the airport because the campus shuttle system didn't go that far.

Nel walked with them to Urahara's car and gave Grimmjow a big hug. His body went stiff with the contact that he should have honestly been expecting, but it eventually relaxed under her touch. She broke off of Grimmjow's hug to give Ichigo one too. Ichigo blushed when he saw Grimmjow's annoyed and somewhat jealous expression, but he didn't say anything. He really didn't expect anything else from him.

"I'll see you at home, Grimmy." She said. "I hope to see you there too Ichigo."

He couldn't help feel a little depressed about leaving so soon. He still had questions to ask and he didn't think he would be able to figure them out at home. He was curious about the hunters and he didn't know if Uryu knew anything about what he was.

He wanted to spend more time with his friends and finish his courses, but he knew that going home was the best decision. Urahara was right; it was too dangerous for him. Even with the Aizen threat supposedly gone him being there caused a lot of people and himself problems. At the rate it was going he may even end up exposing vampires unintentionally. They were in too many situations where they could have been seen.

* * *

After a long as hell plane ride that was seventeen freaking hours long. They landed in an airport that was close to Ichigo's hometown so it wasn't long till they could sleep in a real bed. It was incredibly hard to sleep in a plane and they were suffering extreme jet lag from the time zones. A thirteen hour time difference was really going to be hard to get used to. Ichigo had a hard time with it when he first arrived in America too. By the time they landed it was bright outside and it was around noon.

Ichigo's shoulders were hunched as he threatened to fall over from exhaustion, but he was quickly shaken awake when a man tackled him with his arms wrapped around his back in a tight hug.

"Ichigoooo, welcome home! I missed you soooo much!" He cheered.

Ichigo's body stiffened against the other man's touch and Grimmjow couldn't help crack a smile at Ichigo's frustrated yet embarrassed reaction from getting smothered by a man that he could only predict was his father.

This man was nothing like his son. He dressed in a flashy yellow shirt with a bright pink squiggly pattern that contrasted Ichigo's plane t-shirt that was his usual choice of apparel. His hair was black and he had a matching stubble rather than Ichigo who had bright orange hair and a clean shaved face. Grimmjow has been Ichigo's roommate for an entire semester, but he has never seen him shave. Even when he was unconscious Ichigo's face has remained completely bare. He bet that if something happened that made Ichigo become two years older without any maintenance the hair on his head would be the only thing that grew and his chin, neck, and chest would still be completely bare. It wasn't like there was a way to prove that though.

"How was your flight?" He asked in an upbeat voice not picking up the tired vibe that resonated off the two people who just landed either that or he chose to ignore it. Ichigo did mention before that his father was crazy. He didn't seem too crazy, just happy to see his son even if it did make him the loudest person in the airport.

Grimmjow wasn't surprised to see Ichigo slump against his dad instead of hugging back. Ichigo had dark circles under his eyes from physical exhaustion and probably mental exhaustion after everything he's been through. A lot of things happened to him since the last time he was home and he had a completely different mentality then what he was like when Grimmjow first met him. It was for the best though, probably.

"I heard that we were having company. Who's your friend?" He asked finally addressing the blue-haired person that he knew nothing about.

Grimmjow perked up ready to introduce himself, but Ichigo cut in before he could say anything.

"This is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, he was my roommate." Ichigo said.

Grimmjow was only hesitant for a bit and then he calculate the fact that his father may be homophobic or against dating people from other countries. He flashed a winning smile and stretched his hand out for a handshake.

He could be proper when he wanted to and if he was going to meet Ichigo's parents he wanted to make a good impression. Ichigo's father grasped his hand in a firm handshake a smile stretched across his face. "Ah, you're Ichigo's roommate. I've heard a bit about you. It's nice to meet you." He said in English making Grimmjow's ears perk up.

Grimmjow was a bit nervous about what Ichigo told him since they didn't exactly get along too well in the beginning since Ichigo wasn't exactly used to his teasing yet, but he had to think that it wasn't too bad since his dad is letting him stay with them for reasons that he didn't know. Grimmjow nodded. He also wasn't expecting him to speak in English, but he wasn't surprised since Ichigo was able to speak it so well. It wouldn't exactly be unlikely if his parents knew how to speak it too.

"Do you need help with your bags?" He asked the both of them before Grimmjow stepped over to their bags and lifted them up with ease.

"It's okay, I got it." He responded in Japanese with a proud smile, happy to reveal that he was fluent in their language. He never told Ichigo and he was waiting for the day that he was able to surprise him. Ichigo's look of shock was its own reward.

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow awestruck. He didn't know what he expected; it made sense that Grimmjow learned multiple languages since he has been alive for quite some time, but he didn't expect him to learn such a minor language. He should have known better, he did know what shinigami are.

As Ichigo turned his back to his father he received a quick, unexpected kick in the side. Ichigo held onto his side and glared at his father with pure rage evident in his eyes. "What the fuck, dad? We are in public." That was until his father managed to take him to the ground before being thrown off by his squirming son.

Grimmjow observed the two fighting Japanese men with a blank stare along with many other astonished bystanders. Maybe Ichigo was right; his father is crazy. This guy was the complete opposite from his laidback dad and he was starting to learn where Ichigo got his feisty personality from. Having to deal with a crazy family member all the time can make someone a bit more on the impatient side. He understood from experience all too well. He had a few crazy family members as well starting with Nel and ending with Nnoitra.

After a short car ride they pulled up in front of a two story building with glass doors and a large sign on top that read what Grimmjow made out to say 'Kurosaki Clinic.' Grimmjow blinked in recognition when he read the name. Ichigo lived in an infirmary? He connected the dots and saw the probable reason why Ichigo wanted to be a doctor. With that piece of information it seemed predictable that he had a desire to help people and he had knowledge on how to do so. He's probably seen a lot of people who have gotten hurt.

"Go let yourselves in the door should be unlocked since Yuzu and Karin are home." Ichigo's father, Isshin said as he opened the garage doors and popping the trunk so that they could get their bags out.

Ever since Grimmjow showed that he could speak Japanese they swapped back to their native language trusting Grimmjow to be able to keep up. He had no problem doing so and he was glad that he was able to show off.

Ichigo was just glad that he didn't need to be a translator for him. He had no idea how long Grimmjow was staying, but from the way Urahara talked it seemed that he was going to be there for a while. Knowing Grimmjow he was probably not making any plans to leave any time soon either, not that he really minded. He wasn't exactly ready to lose the relationship that they just established.

From Grimmjow's attitude he could tell that he was excited. It seemed like he was going to have to brace himself for all the teasing that was going to come. Having him stay over opened up way too many opportunities for him. He will admit that he was happy that Grimmjow was staying with him, but he wasn't so sure about the bullying that was going to follow.

"My sisters," Ichigo said when he saw Grimmjow looking at him questioningly. "I forgot to mention I have sisters."

He opened the door and took his shoes off calling out 'I'm home.' A head popped out from behind the corner that belonged to someone who looked like she was in her teens.

"Welcome back, Ichigo. Oh, this must be your friend." A girl with light brown hair said. "I was just fixing up lunch. We heard you and a friend were coming home so I made a lot."

Grimmjow was curious when he saw his little sister. He expected to see a household filled with just orange-haired people, but from the people he met so far he saw a very small amount of orange. Heck Ichigo didn't even have that much resemblance to any of them.

He followed Ichigo inside, following his example of taking his shoes off at the front door. There was a large table and what seemed to look like a kitchen. Sitting at the table was another teenage girl who had darker hair that looked like their dad's. Then Grimmjow couldn't take his curiosity anymore and he out right asked.

"Ichigo, where did your hair color come from?" Grimmjow asked making the dark haired teenager look up with dissatisfaction in her eyes. She must have been one of those angsty and cold-hearted teenagers.

Ichigo touch one of the vibrant orange spikes on his head when Grimmjow brought attention to the odd color that he damn well knew that he had.

"My mom I think. Her hair was browner like Yuzu's, but it's the more orange than anyone else in my family." Ichigo responded.

"And where is she?" Grimmjow asked.

The girl with dark hair rolled her eyes and the other, Yuzu gave him a sympathetic look. "She died when I was around eight years old." Ichigo said. He didn't sound too sad, but Grimmjow still felt a little shitty for not knowing any better.

"You go ahead and eat." Ichigo said trying to hold back a yawn. "I'm going to sleep."

He didn't really need to eat since he was a vampire, but the smell of the room almost made his mouth water. Ichigo didn't mention that he had sisters, but it seemed like the brunet one was one hell of a cook. He really wanted to just sit down and eat and maybe find out some embarrassing stories about Ichigo from his family, but he restrained himself from asking questions.

"Hey, can I take some food upstairs for him when you finish cooking?"

Ichigo's sister's directed him to the first room on the left upstairs that had a small door sign that had the number '15.' At that moment something clicked. The number fifteen was written with the numbers one and five, 'ichi' 'go.' A smile stretched across Grimmjow's face. Ichigo had a lot of shirts that had the number '15' written on them and everything started to make sense. Damn that was so cute. It was like he had his own signature.

He pushed the door lightly without knocking to see what he expected, Ichigo knocked out on his bed, not even bothering to change out of the clothes he was wearing before despite them being kind of gross because he wore it the day before and during the plane ride. He left him for about five minutes, but it seemed like it was enough for him to pass out. Grimmjow put their lunches on his desk and climbed on top of him. His smile stretched wide when he heard Ichigo groan underneath him.

"Why?" He groaned squeezing his eyes tighter. He tried to turn over, but Grimmjow was a bit too heavy for him to simply push off. Grimmjow gripped his wrists to keep himself from falling over and laughed.

"God you're too fun to mess with." He said pressing a caste kiss on his lips. "Get up, I brought you some food."

Ichigo moaned and squeezed his eyes shut tighter. "I would get up, but you're kind of on top of me."

Grimmjow reluctantly rolled off of him and Ichigo sat up, and if possible the dark circles under his eyes were more evident. "Is that curry rice?" He asked getting up from his twin sized bed and walking over to his desk and picked up a serving before sitting down on the floor where a low round table sat and a few cushions.

Grimmjow sat down with him taking his own serving with him. One thing stuck out to him though, on the low table there was a note taped to the surface that was written in kanji. It read 'warning: only to be used for jokes like this.'

"Umm-" Grimmjow pointed at the note.

"Don't ask." Ichigo responded, cutting him off before he could say anything more.

There was silence for a while and they ate peacefully. Ichigo seemed to enjoy the comfortable silence though Grimmjow seemed a little put off by it. Isn't silence dangerous for fresh relationships or something? It seemed Ichigo was skipping over the passionate love stage to the companion love stage. It seemed to fit him more, but damn Grimmjow still wanted to enjoy the passionate part even though he would admit the comfort Ichigo had around him wasn't too bad.

A loud pounding could be heard from outside the room before Ichigo's door got thrown open. A small girl with dark hair came storming in. She was short, but her face was mature and Grimmjow could immediately tell that she was a vampire and she looked angry.

Grimmjow immediately got up to defend Ichigo and blocked him with his body, but his more petite boyfriend didn't seem put off by her at all. He just sat down with unaugment written across his face as he shoved another spoonful of curry rice in his mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming home today?" The girl asked, her fists were clutched together, not caring how dangerous she looked.

"I didn't exactly have time to tell everyone. I was literally kicked out and sent home on the same day."

"Then message me when you land! Renji had to tell me that you came home." She shouted.

Grimmjow looked between his nonchalant boyfriend and the fiery stranger. "Okay, I'm missing something. What the hell is going on? Who are you and why aren't you burning right now?

Ichigo sighed and put his spoon down and gestured towards the petite woman. "This is my other best friend, Rukia. She's been here multiple times which is why she made herself right at home. My dad or my sisters probably let her in."

Grimmjow examined her closely. "You are aware that your best friend is a vampire right?" He asked. There was no way Ichigo knew about vampires before he met him, but he sure seemed to be surrounded by them.

"As of a few days ago," Ichigo said lying across the floor letting his feet slide under the table. "It was a big shock to me too."

"How are you only now learning about vampires?" Grimmjow groaned gesturing towards Rukia. "I'm surprised that you haven't been killed by this one yet."

"Some people have something called willpower." She grumbled taking a seat next to Ichigo who was lying across the floor with his eyes shut lightly. "You realize that I'm his best friend so you have to get my approval too. I won't give it away as easily as Renji does."

"You don't need to act so much like your brother." Ichigo said turning over. "I didn't meet him, but he sure gave Renji a hard time."

"Wait, what clan are you in?" Grimmjow asked bringing the Rukia's attention back on him. She seemed to be cooling down, but he could still tell that she was a bit angry.

"Oh right, I'm in the Kuchiki. I hope we get along." She said. "But that doesn't mean that I've accepted you just yet. You better treat Ichigo well."

Grimmjow chuckled. "You don't need to worry. I'll treat him right."

"Hold on," Ichigo said. "You were the one that told me that being with him wasn't going so bad. It was before Renji brought up the idea of trying to look at him romantically, but I think it still counts."

"It doesn't count. I didn't say go date the guy I just said that being in a vampire family wouldn't be so bad." She said in a light huff.

It was too late though. Grimmjow already had a grin stretched out across his face. He totally thinks that he won something.

The room seemed peaceful for a while as Grimmjow and Rukia chatted for a bit as Ichigo dozed off where he was lying, somewhat trying to resist the sleep that was taking over him. Don't lie on the floor when you're tired, especially if a bed is right there. Something bugged Ichigo to wake up though as a vein made itself visible on the side of his temple when he remembered an important detail even within the peaceful atmosphere.

Ichigo's body shot back up in a sitting position and interrupted the conversation the two vampires in the room were having, "Hey Rukia, why didn't you tell me that you and Renji were engaged?"

The room was silent for a second and Rukia bit down on her lip and turned her head away from her best friend so that she could hide the uncomfortable look on her face. "Umm, I didn't think you were ready to hear about that?"

"It doesn't matter whether or not I am ready to hear about it or not. I'm your best friend!" He shouted the vein on his forehead becoming even more visible as if it were ready to burst out of his skin and his teeth gritted together so that it was almost grinding. Ichigo never had bruxism, but it looked like he was getting it slowly but surely.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to be okay with it. Honestly, I was scared. I thought we may have had to abandon you or get you to join the Kuchiki clan yourself because we didn't want to leave you behind." She said with a depressed tone.

"She's right, vampires have to eventually cut their human ties or move around a lot since they don't grow any older after their age settles. I've looked the same for around 200 years so I have to constantly move around so that people won't recognize me." Grimmjow noted. "If you become a vampire then you wouldn't need to be abandoned since that means you'll all be sharing the same secret."

Grimmjow looked over and studied Rukia. "Umm, did your age settle yet? I really hope it didn't."

Rukia punched his arm hard causing it to leave an angry red mark. Looks like it did, no wonder she still looked like she was still fourteen though Ichigo seemed to know better than to say that out loud.

* * *

Before they realized that time kept passing by as Ichigo and Rukia chatted about the abroad program it was already dark. Rukia looked out the window then checked her phone.

"Looks like I have to go." She said. "Sorry to keep you awake Ichigo get some sleep."

She got up and let herself out. Ichigo didn't even get up to walk her to the front door. She practically lived there so she was comfortable letting herself out.

Ichigo just got up and walked over to his bed, looking out the window and waiting to see her outside. Just like he expected the short vampire looked over to his window and waved as she left. He raised his hand as well in goodbye with a small smile on his face.

Grimmjow got up off the floor, his knees cracking from sitting for too long. "Geez, I forgot what it was like to sit on the floor for long periods of time. What do you want to do now?" He asked hugging Ichigo from behind.

"Sleep," Ichigo said with a blank expression.

"Oh come on, you know what I'm implying. Are you going to be like that every time I suggest having a little fun?" Grimmjow said, nuzzling his face into Ichigo's spikey hair.

"My family is home. I don't need to emotionally scar my sisters and I don't need my dad to know that we're a thing. Seriously, he was too loud the last time he found out that I was in a relationship." Ichigo said. "Also the last time I was here I wasn't exactly out as bisexual. I only dated girls and he scared most of them away."

Grimmjow laughed. "Yeah, how did you even say yes to me? I guess there is a spectrum."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to give it a try."

"How am I doing?" Grimmjow smiled.

"I don't need to feed your already large ego." Ichigo said blushing. That was so like him to try to avoid giving one complement. He's so prideful, but Grimmjow took that to mean that he didn't lose the orange-head's interest yet.

"Do what you want, I'm going to sleep." Ichigo said flopping down on his bed. "I'll unpack later."

Grimmjow wasn't necessarily as tired as Ichigo, but he took the hint. Either he sleeps too or he leaves Ichigo alone. It was only just getting dark and having that conversation with Rukia seemed to wake him up. He was tempted to get in bed with Ichigo even if it was just to cuddle with him and pretend to be asleep.

The jetlag hit Ichigo a lot harder then it hit him so he wanted to let Ichigo have the whole bed at least for now. He didn't need to watch Ichigo sleep either, it was such a vampire cliché that he never understood. It sounded kinda creepy despite him never doing it before. This was the first time he experienced anything like love before.

He hasn't been to Japan for a very long time and he hasn't spent a lot of time in a remote town like this one. Part of him just wanted to go out and go on a walk, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get back inside without being invited in again. So he settled for exploring the house. He wanted to learn more about Ichigo anyway and this sounded like as good an opportunity as any.

He could hear video games coming from one of the rooms when he walked out of his boyfriend's room. It was probably coming from his sisters' room. The house seemed small since most of it was made up of a clinic that they happened to live in.

He walked through the entryway of the kitchen and he saw a bunch of family photos. He stopped himself so that he could study them. This was the first time he has seen Ichigo's mom. Her hair color was very similar to her son's, but his was way more vibrant and he couldn't help realize that he really didn't have that much resemblance to her other than hair color. He looked more like his dad and even that was pushing it. She was beautiful though, almost as beautiful as her son.

A smile cracked on his face when he saw a small orange-haired boy with large brown eyes and a big goofy smile. He was such a cute kid. Whatever happened? In every photo that featured him he had that same goofy smile, and there wasn't even a permanent scowl yet. Ichigo grew up to be so moody, but he was a child like everyone else at some point.

"He's cute huh?"

Grimmjow whipped his head around to see Ichigo's dad. He didn't even notice he was there and it put him on edge. He stood their proudly looking over his shoulder at the photos that he was looking at.

"I'm proud of my kids and what they've become even if I don't understand all of their decisions." Isshin said. He walked into the kitchen grabbed a glass and a bottle from the cabinet. Grimmjow recognized the bottle as liquor and sat across from him and watched the man fill the glass half way with the warm looking liquid.

"They've been through a lot since their mother died." He said drinking from the glass his other arm resting on the table in front of him. "Yuzu took her place as the caretaker of the house, I never see Karin show any emotion except for irritation, and I barely even see Ichigo smile anymore. He's grown pretty cold as he grew older."

Grimmjow remained silent, not knowing what to say. He wanted to listen and learn more about him, he was curious, but he didn't know how to talk to the man who was for some reason acting completely differently from how he was acting before in front of his son.

"He seemed different from when I last saw him, like he has been through a lot. He seems to be finding himself and you seem to be helping him. I really hope you get to see him genuinely smile. He has a really nice one and you deserve to see it too." Isshin looked up at him knowingly. "You and my son are dating, right?"

Grimmjow's expression darkened and he nodded lightly. Isshin chuckled lightly and held a small smirk on his face and a knowing glance. "I never understood my son's decisions, but I hope you take good care of him. He always puts others before himself so you're going to need to watch his back for him."

Grimmjow nodded. He wished that he could tell him that he was putting Ichigo's wellbeing above his own and he thought of him as his first priority. He did so much for him and Ichigo did his best for him as well.

"Just make sure you don't keep him all to yourself. He has a family and I won't let you take him away from us." Isshin said darkly. "If you decide to turn him and take him away then you're in for a bad time. I'm not losing anymore family. I know who and what you are so there is no need to pretend anymore."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry, I'm not all here yet. I'm still going through some things so do me a favor and review. You have no idea how helpful those are. If you are too shy to do that then do me a favor and follow or favorite instead.**


	18. Chapter 18

Hi, I'm not ready to go back to posting weekly. I still have some stuff that I want to set up...starting with going back to writing in advance. I'm a little rusty and I'm not sure if this chapter feels different or not, but I hope you enjoy it either way.

* * *

Chapter 18

Grimmjow was stunned silent. He looked at Ichigo's father who was only just acting incredibly goofy and embarrassing earlier that day, but now he made a completely different impression. He was intimidating and had a dangerous expression that seemed somewhat dark, like he was looking at the Grim Reaper himself.

"I thought it would be a good thing for Ichigo to see the world a bit. Karakura is too silent and hardly anything supernatural happens here. I knew that letting him go on the abroad program may awaken his powers and I felt it was safe since Urahara was running it." Isshin said.

"Wait, you knew about all of this?" Grimmjow asked, speaking for the first time since he sat down. "You knew about the vampire program and you still let him go." He couldn't help get a little angry. If he knew about this he should have stopped him instead of letting him pay to go to a program that nearly killed him. Yes, he would have never met him, but at least he would have been safe. He put Ichigo's safety above all else and that included whether or not being in a school full of vampires was actually safe. Obviously it wasn't since he was nearly turned into a vampire and killed by Aizen who was gaining a pretty bad reputation and was on the watch list for the hunters in charge of the program.

"I know what you are thinking. That you were the one that had to protect him, but you forgot one crucial detail. My son is a shinigami, he can defend himself. He lasted this long by himself, though he still has a lot to learn." He said. Suddenly the room started to smelled unearthly good. Grimmjow's nostrils flared and his eyes dilated at the new invading scent. It felt like he was a starved shark in a tank and a bucket of fish blood was dumped into the water. It teased him since he couldn't eat it and it only made him hunger more despite his stomach being relatively full.

"Shinigami blood is very special, but by hiding our presence we can also hide the smell so that we can appear normal to vampires." Isshin said. As soon as he said that the smell disappeared without leaving a trace of a lingering smell. It was like the heavenly smell didn't even exist in the first place and it was all in his head. "That is something he has still yet to learn."

"You're a shinigami too." Grimmjow said slowly as he put the pieces together. Of course he was. He didn't fully understand how shinigami worked since this was the first time he has ever heard of them existing, but now it looked like Ichigo got his powers from genetics. It was crazy that for as long as he lived he never knew that shinigami were real, but here he was sitting in front of another one.

"Yeah, so you better not do anything that would harm my son." He said coldly.

Then everything clicked in place for Grimmjow. Ichigo's dad didn't hate him. He was just being a protective father and he was threatening him not to stick a toe out of line and do anything that hurt him.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of hurting him. I'm serious about him." He said, but he decided that he had to be honest. "I don't think I can promise not to turn him though."

Isshin downed the rest of his drink and got up to put the bottle and glass away. "I don't care about that. He is a shinigami so he has the same longevity as vampires and he will stop aging eventually. If he doesn't end up getting himself killed then he can live forever. Just don't take him away from his family. Rukia is a vampire too, but I still treat her like family and it seems that now Renji is going to be turned too. If you decide to keep Ichigo all to yourself then you aren't really thinking about what is best for him."

Grimmjow nodded. "I wouldn't want to take him away from his family. I wouldn't be here if I had that intention. I didn't know that shinigami had the same lifespans as vampires. I'm glad; He won't admit it, but I'm pretty sure that he would be upset if he had to cut his ties. Now he doesn't have to so I guess I better get used to seeing you."

"Look forward to it." He said with a large grin on his face. He sounded like he did when he first met him. The intimidating air around him was now gone and he sounded just like a dad that his kids would be embarrassed to have.

"Oh yeah, and can you do me a favor? Don't tell Ichigo that I'm a shinigami. He has to figure out how to control his powers without me holding his hand. Every shinigami is different so I wouldn't be much help anyway."

Grimmjow was hesitant since it seemed like a pretty big detail to hide, but he agreed. He didn't want to get on his dad's bad side and keeping the secret was in Ichigo's best interest then he had no choice. He seriously didn't want to keep anymore secrets from him, but it looked like this one was unavoidable. Wait, he still had that one, but they'll get there when the time comes.

That aside he couldn't figure out what was worse. Ichigo finding out that he was hiding something or how his father was going to react if he told him. Heck, how would Ichigo react if he were to find out that his father was just like him?

Grimmjow got up and left the room climbing back upstairs to Ichigo's room. He saw the orange-haired shinigami asleep on his bed peacefully. He climbed on top of him once again, waking a reluctant Ichigo

"What now?" He groaned lightly opening one of his eyes.

"You know I love you and I don't want to hurt you right?" Grimmjow said huskily in Ichigo's ear. He felt Ichigo's body heat up underneath him.

"Wha-what are you saying?" Ichigo stuttered.

"Just reminding you that I love you," Grimmjow said. "Now can you move over?" He asked.

Ichigo inched over a bit even with Grimmjow's giant body on top of him he was able to manage.

"There is a futon in the closet with a bunch of spare sheets if you want that instead. There's not a lot of space."

Grimmjow gripped onto Ichigo and rolled over making Ichigo flip on top of him. "Nah, this works." He said with a large grin on his face.

Ichigo sighed. "There is seriously a better method then this you know? Why are you always so difficult?"

Grimmjow relaxed despite having Ichigo on top of him. He was so light and it wasn't because of his monstrous strength. It actually bugged him.

"Hey Ichigo, how much do you weigh? You don't need to tell me if you are uncomfortable saying it." Grimmjow said looking up at Ichigo.

"Ummm, I haven't checked in a while, but the last time actually cared I was about 145 pounds." Ichigo said immediately self-conscious and somewhat expecting what was going to come out of his boyfriend's mouth.

"You're so light." Grimmjow said in a husky voice. "Is that healthy?"

"Hey, my BMI is normal. Mind your own business. If you are so upset with my weight then I can take the futon." He said.

He began to try and get up, but before he can roll off Grimmjow wrapped his arms around him and prevented him from moving. "No, it's fine. This is your bed after all."

Ichigo sighed and slumped his body against him. "I'm not even on the bed." He mumbled deciding that it was best to just give up. "Fine, just don't do anything perverted."

Grimmjow leaned upwards and kissed him on the forehead. Despite his exhausted state he blushed, but he was too tired to act flustered.

"Okay, fine that's all you get." Ichigo warned, fitting his head in-between Grimmjow's neck and shoulder. "You're so muscular, but I'm too tired to be picky."

Grimmjow eventually felt Ichigo's body go limp against his signing that he's fallen asleep again and Grimmjow immediately felt a warmth flow through his body that resonated from Ichigo's body heat and him lightly rising and falling from his breath.

It was so peaceful, so peaceful that he was able to fall asleep without a problem despite having a weight laid across his body that smelled unearthly amazing. It would usually spike his appetite, but somehow he was finding it easier to resist the temptation. It was a lot harder to sleep in the same room as him when they first met. He was worried that he would attack him in his sleep. He improved a lot, probably because he didn't want any harm to fall upon the one that was now sleeping soundly on top of him.

* * *

Ichigo was surrounded by an ambiance that originally seemed weird, but now he was completely used to. All he saw was a blue sky and sideways buildings; he wanted to make a habit of visiting his inner world when he was asleep. He officially figured out how to come and go and he found it productive to fit in both sleeping and shinigami training at the same time even though he discovered that it made him wake up not as well rested.

Can he even call it training though? He fought with Shiro for a while and figured out more about his powers. They talked throughout the entire fight as well, the clone of him teaching him more about his powers and himself. He didn't know if what he learned would transfer to the outer world though. He didn't exactly have time to put it into practice. He didn't even know where he could try it. His new found powers seemed a bit over the top and it wasn't like he could practice them in a public place like a park or in front of his family. He loved his family, but he didn't want to dump his supernatural discoveries on them, not yet.

"So you're saying every shinigami is unique?" Ichigo asked dodging one of his attacks.

"That's right. Ya don' exactly have a lotta others ta compare ta though, but all shinigami have a soul inside of them that is the source of their powers." He said thrusting another attack at Ichigo who quickly side stepped and delivered his own attack. "Yur a bit different from other shinigami though, starting from the fact that yur half human. So ya better be prepared."

Ichigo let out a blast from his voice blowing the other soul backwards. "Prepared for what? I'm out of immediate danger now that I left America and Aizen disappeared. I'm back at Karakura, nothing ever happens here."

Shiro flipped in the air landing on his feet and slid back with one hand touching the ground. "Yur too naïve if ya think that it's over just yet. I don' know what's going to come next either, but ya can kiss yur normal life goodbye."

Ichigo wasn't surprised to hear that. He said goodbye to his normal life a long time ago. He fought to keep his life as normal as possible for a while, but after discovering that his best friend was a vampire and his other best friend wanted to get turned into one he knew that it wasn't that normal to begin with. Grimmjow biting him and claiming him wasn't exactly the starting point of his weird life, it was when he discovered that it was weird. Then he started to freaking date the freaking guy because he may as well as start embracing the path his life went down and also he was surprisingly attracted to his vampire roommate. Then there was the matter of discovering that he is a shinigami there was no way he could go back to hoping that somehow things will return to the somewhat normal life he had. His normal life never existed in the first place, it was only and illusion. There was no reason to harp on it and he had to move on with life even if it took a complete turn for the weird.

"There're secrets that ya don' know yet, but stay tuned. They'll be revealed soon, dontcha worry." He said. "And with that let's end fer today."

Ichigo stilled in his place. "Wait, I still have questions. You were saying that you are the source of my power?"

"Yeah, but we can talk 'bout that later." He said before he disappeared and Ichigo's vision faded to black.

* * *

Ichigo woke up on top of Grimmjow, his neck sore from having it hang off his shoulder in an awkward position. It was still dark and he could hear no movement in his house. It's official; his sleep schedule is completely fucked. The guy beneath him seemed completely comfortable though. For someone so cocky he looked incredibly peaceful when he was asleep. It sort of ticked Ichigo off for some unknown reason.

Ichigo calculated how to get off of his boyfriend without stirring him. There was no way he could just roll off of him without Grimmjow waking up too. Dammit, why did this guy insist on sharing a bed with him when there was a perfectly good futon? It wasn't possible to escape without waking the beast so he just accepted the fact and attempted to just roll off of him despite knowing that it wouldn't work. Ichigo was right, as soon as he tried to leave arms clutched onto Ichigo's body tightly. Freaking monster strength, Ichigo had no choice, but to wake up the sleeping figure underneath him.

"Hey, Grimmjow," Ichigo whispered. "Let me go."

Grimmjow's eyelids twitched before he opened them halfway, looking up at the guy on top of him. He looked over to Ichigo's digital alarm clock on his desk.

"It's four in the morning." He stated. "What's the point?"

Ichigo shrugged. There was some truth in that statement. There was no purpose since he didn't need to do anything productive. He may as well be on an early vacation since he was let out early and he still had a while until the next semester started at Karakura University. Seriously, vacation didn't even start here yet.

"I don't know; we can do something a bit more fun…" Ichigo said letting his voice trail and his face turned bright red.

Grimmjow's face turned blank and his eyes were now completely open. His lips were twitching in anticipation that turned into a smirk. If he wasn't so tired or shocked that Ichigo suggested such a thing then he would be grinning from ear to ear. Ichigo could feel something start to poke at his abdomen causing Ichigo's skin to turn into a dark rose color that made his skin almost glow pink when he recognized what it was.

This was the first time he suggested doing something in that area. He didn't expect such a response, but Grimmjow was the first to act as always. He never passed up an opportunity to touch Ichigo. His blank face immediately turned lecherous and he hugged Ichigo tight before rolling over so that they flipped positions.

"I've never seen you like this before. I like it." Grimmjow hummed. He kissed Ichigo on the neck, sticking his tongue out and leaving a long line on the side making Ichigo's breath hitch. His hand trailed southwards towards Ichigo's pajama pants-

"Oh God, please don't." Grimmjow's head whipped around with astonishment and aggression that was animalistic to face the intruder that he didn't realize was there.

Someone seemed to float outside of Ichigo's bedroom window, no not float he was straight up standing, but he was upside-down. He looked around Ichigo's age, but rather than wearing a scowl like Ichigo did, his mouth was turned into a mischievous smile. He had blond shoulder length hair that seemed to defy gravity since it hung by his neck rather than falling down to face the earth. "As tempted as I am to just sit back and watch my conscience knows better."

"Who the fuck are you?" Grimmjow said jumping off of Ichigo to stand territorially in front of him in a battle stance with his fists clenched. He just landed in Japan, but it seemed that he had to already start worrying about protecting Ichigo even though this place was supposedly meant to be safe. He didn't sense this guy at all, there was no smell coming off of him and he didn't make any noise until he made himself known.

"Whoa, cool it Fang. I'm not here to pick a fight." He said raising his hands in defense before jumping off of the nothingness and landing on well…more nothingness, but this time the air stayed still below his feet, turning himself right-side up. "Kisuke sent me. He wanted me to make sure this one didn't go mad." He said gesturing to Ichigo who was now sitting up in his bed.

Grimmjow growled and stepped closer to the window intimidatingly. "You still didn't answer my question, Blondie. Who the fuck are you?"

Ichigo had some red tinted on his face, but he looked between the two of them. He didn't know whether he should try to calm his boyfriend down or get the fuck out of there. He decided to stay put and see what happened though.

"I'm not going to give you my name since I'm an escapee. All you need to know is that I don't mean harm." The blond man said scratching the side of his head.

"You have until the count of three." Grimmjow snarled, baring his teeth like a wild animal. He didn't give a shit about what this guy was saying as long as he gave him answers.

"Geez," The blond man sighed. He realized that the only way he could actually make progress is to get past the blue-haired guard dog. Sadly this guy wasn't looking to hear him out or settle things peacefully as long as he withheld information from him. "You know you're really contributing to the stereotype about vampires being incredibly violent. Fine, if it's the only way you'll let me talk I'll tell you. My name is Shinji Hirako. I'm a shinigami that escaped the institution."

Ichigo blinked and reached over and grabbed hold of the window and slid it open, allowing the stranger to come into his room.

"You have got to be kidding me." Grimmjow groaned when Ichigo performed the action. "You have no idea who this guy is or whether he is telling the truth or not. Your survival skills are shit."

"Fine, then I trust you to protect me if the time comes, but my instincts are telling me that he comes in peace. Besides, he feels familiar." Ichigo said to Grimmjow, but his head sort of seemed lost in the clouds as he tried to figure out why he felt like he can trust the stranger and why he felt so familiar despite this being the first time they've met. The blue-haired vampire clicked his tongue and sat next to his boyfriend wrapping an arm protectively around him and bringing him closer to his body.

"Thank you." Shinji said as he stepped through the window and jumped over the bed to land on the wooden floor of Ichigo's room. "I did come here for a reason, you know?"

"At four in the morning?" Grimmjow growled. "I'm sure." He snaked his arms further around Ichigo's waist and locked his fingers together. Ichigo tried to ignore Grimmjow's over reaction, but it was hard to ignore him when he could feel Grimmjow's hair brush against his cheek and his breath tickle his skin.

Shinji just shrugged, raising his hands over his shoulders in an exaggerated show of saying 'I don't know.' "He assumed you guys would be awake now for some reason. I have no idea how he got that right, but his instincts have always been good."

Shinji put his arms down and grabbed the chair in front of Ichigo desk, pulling it to him and then straddling it. "Now, let's get down to business. It seems you haven't gone mad yet so that's a good sign, especially since you're an unregistered shinigami. The institution doesn't know about you just yet, but that doesn't mean they won't discover your existence eventually. You are terrible at hiding you know. Your spiritual energy is flowing out of you like an exploded fire hydrant. If you keep that up they'll find you and take you away."

Ichigo gave the new character a puzzled look. "Wait, what are you talking about? This is all new to me so you're gonna have to back up."

Shinji groaned. "Of course he left me to explain all of this stuff. That guy always has to be so secretive." Shinji resisted the urge to continue ranting and bring up stories about when he had to do shit that his supposed friend avoided, but for the sake of time and desire to go back to bed himself he started the explanation. "Alright listen up. You're an unregistered shinigami which means you aren't in the system. Congratulations, being in the system sucks."

Grimmjow groaned. "Get to the point already."

"Will you shut up?" He asked pointedly at Grimmjow. After a moment of silence he turned back to Ichigo. "Shinigami tend to be born in the afterlife, when they are found they get taken away from their homes and forced into an academy where they learn how to use their powers. After they master them they are forced to work, bringing souls who die in the human world to the afterlife. Yes, shinigami have an important job, but it shouldn't be forced on kids to leave their homes and work. It's like getting drafted into the army, but that's just my political view."

Ichigo looked at him, puzzled. "Okay being taken away from your home sucks, but what does that have to do with me? I was born in the human world and I'm only part shinigami, right? These guys have no reason to come to me."

Shinji clicked his tongue. "You see that's where you are wrong. The government in the afterlife is called the Central 46. They can send someone over here to kill you and bring you to the afterlife so that they can take you. It is very rare for a human to have shinigami powers, but it isn't impossible. Heck it happened twice recently, you and one other."

Grimmjow got up and stood in front of Ichigo protectively. "That gives me even more of a reason to distrust you. Get out; you're a shinigami aren't you?"

Shinji placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head, his mop of hair waving with every movement. "Okay, you need to go or something. I literally just said after you forced me to introduce myself that I escaped the institution. I'm off the radar and I follow no one's orders but my own."

"What about that Kisuke Urahara's." Grimmjow pointed out.

"Wow, low blow there. Low. Blow. Nah, I owe him so I promised to look after Ichigo until he can take care of himself. Once that time comes then I'm out. When I asked him why he wanted me to do all of this his explanation was that 'it was more fun this way.' That's nothing new though. Boring stuff never interested him so he would always find a way to make things more interesting either that or he's scheming something again, but the possibilities are around equal."

Ichigo shook his head. "I don't need to be watched over. I can take care of myself." Ichigo said.

The room went silent and cold. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. It seemed that Shinji had a bit more knowledge of everything that has happened, more than an outsider should have. It seemed that calling him an outsider though wasn't the best title for him now. Ichigo was starting to feel more like an outsider than ever as he considered how much about himself that he didn't know.

Grimmjow decided to speak up first. "Umm, Ichi… This past month doesn't exactly have a good record of you being able to take care of yourself. You got abducted twice." Grimmjow placed a hand on his shoulder. "You tried though."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He wasn't wrong, but they had no idea what he has been up to. He has been training in silence under everyone's noses. He wasn't sure if he would be able to perform the same way he does in his inner world when in the real world, but there was a part of him that was completely alien to him that was itching to try. A new competitive part of him was awakened that he never expected to show and he always considered himself to be a competitive person to begin with.

"Right, but in the mean time I'll be the one to take care of you. I owe it to an old friend anyway." Shinji said scratching his head.

Grimmjow scoffed, "Yeah? Sorry, but that's my job. You weren't exactly there to protect him last month."

"Do as you please, but you aren't shoving me away so easily." He said. "Kisuke aside, I have an old friend who would hate to see him die."

Shinji looked at Grimmjow knowingly and Grimmjow clicked his tongue looking away, starting to see the bigger picture. Ichigo looked between the two of them and sighed noticing that he was missing some parts of the story…again. Was it really fair that people are keeping such important information secret in his life? Seriously, weren't those supposed secrets about him? He was stronger than they thought, dammit.

"Okay, what am I left out of this time? Can someone tell me what's up?"

Shinji looked at Grimmjow and then back at Ichigo. "Oh, this is what Kisuke meant when he said it'll be more fun this way. That bastard, you don't need to worry about it just yet and don't try to start digging at prince charming over there. He won't tell you either and there is no need to start conflict between the two of you because he barely knows shit either."

Shinji got up and hopped over the bed where Grimmjow and Ichigo sat onto the window sill and looked over his shoulder. "And with that, my purpose here is finished. Ichigo, don't let the other soul inside you drive you insane. If something happens that puts you in danger it may get irritated. Just a warning, that isn't exactly a good thing. I'll check in on you two later." As easily as he appeared he was gone.

Grimmjow's trained eyes was able to see him move at incredible speed into the distance, but for Ichigo it seemed that he just teleported and he could immediately feel a kick in his chest that probably came from Shiro. When did Shiro decide to be a fetus in its mother's stomach? Ichigo couldn't believe that that was the first comparison he came up with for Shiro being active, but it fit. Shiro was irritated by everything and after Ichigo discovered that he was a shinigami Shiro has been getting more and more active. He was starting to become a pain.

It has already been a day, but Ichigo could hear him calling out in his head and it's been getting louder and louder. He sounds a lot closer than he did before. Hirako said that he'll get irritated if he was put in danger, but he already started to get irritated, probably because he seemed to be attracting too much trouble. Whenever he sees someone stronger than him Shiro gets irritated and Ichigo could feel it too and it was starting to frustrate him.

It's like Shiro was the thing fueling his competitive spirit. Ichigo would usually get urges to compete with people, but Shiro took it to a whole new level and he infected his brain with thoughts and it made his body twitch for action. He wanted to get stronger. He wanted to get better. He wanted to be number one, and if Ichigo wasn't going to do his bidding then he was going to take over and do it himself and Ichigo knew that he was capable of doing just that. He proved as much by lending him powers that he didn't even know how to use.

Ichigo always thought that he was in control, but he thought back to the night where he got abducted by Yammy. In a situation like that he was surprisingly calm, and his fighting style was a lot different than it usually was when he fought delinquents in the street. It was wilder, more unpredictable; he couldn't even tell what he was going to do next.

He already started to take over. Shiro was his brute strength and his instincts while Ichigo used the resources around him to help him escape. Together they made a great team, but Ichigo could tell that Shiro felt like he was pulling most of the weight and Ichigo needed to step in more since it was his body. What will happen if he gets too strong though and is able to fight by himself and didn't need Ichigo's help? Shiro wasn't as nice as Ichigo would have liked. If he couldn't supply him what he wanted then he'll be devoured.

He needed to get stronger by himself. He didn't need Shinji to tell him that he may go mad with Shiro calling him and taunting him. For a guy who he had a relatively decent meeting with, he really was a selfish asshole. Though Shiro didn't act like it Ichigo could tell that he didn't truly want to be the one in charge. He was too laid back for that despite the way he talked and acted. He wouldn't be helping Ichigo out with training if he was determined to take over, but if it was for the benefit of the both of them he would take control and probably force Ichigo to take his place in his inner world. Ichigo wasn't sure how it worked, but that sounded about right.

"Sooo, do you want to resume?" Grimmjow asked pulling Ichigo's already close body on top of him and kissing his neck, hinting back to what they were doing before they were rudely interrupted.

"Sorry, the mood is kind of gone." Ichigo said wiggling out of his lap and lying back down on the bed, kicking his legs back on the bed so that he laid flat. "Also I kinda have a new fire lit inside of me so can you leave me alone for a bit?" He closed his eyes the thought _I need to get stronger_ resonating in his head before he let himself fall back into his inner world.

* * *

 **A/N: Do me a favor and review. It will really help motivate me and motivation is something I really need right now. Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed. It really was helpful and believe it or not the reason why I continue posting is for you guys who read my stories and have made it this far...well that and me not wanting to leave a story unfinished. I know, it's mega corny too say that so I'll hopefully see you all next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

Hello. I think I'm back. Let's see how I feel next week, but I think I'm somewhat confident enough to start posting weekly again. Sorry for the inconvenience and enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 19

"GOOD MORNING, ICHIGOOO." Ichigo caught his annoying, loud father by the face and shoved him to the hard wooden floor.

"Geez, nothing changes with you." He hissed practically crushing his father's face in his grip.

"I'm glad to see that you haven't gotten rusty, my son." His father said, his voice muffled by the palm of Ichigo's hand. "It looks like I have nothing left to teach you."

The back of Ichigo's neck sweated as he glared down at his father, trying his best to hold in his anger so that he wouldn't end up beating his father into a bloody pulp. "Teach me, my ass! This is freaking child abuse."

Grimmjow looked over from Ichigo's desk. He's already made himself at home and he was picking apart Ichigo's manga collection as his partner was sleeping. He was reading a pretty interesting one too; it was about a high schooler who was able to see ghosts and had to fight these evil spirits that were after him.

The performance in front of him was far more interesting though. He closed the graphic novel and hummed with pleasure, making himself known. Ichigo blushed, but his father seemed to not have any shame as he smiled in his son's former roommate's direction, "good morning to you too, Grimmjow. I would do the same thing to you, but I don't think you can handle it."

Ichigo groaned. "Please don't. He's supposed to be a guest. Now get out, I need to get ready." He said as he shoved his father out of the room.

"Oh, I get a private show?" Grimmjow said quietly enough so that his father couldn't hear him through the closed door, watching as Ichigo started to lift his t-shirt over his head.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Geez, don't say it like that. I've changed in front of you before so I thought you'd be more mature. If you're going to act like that turn around."

Grimmjow chuckled and walked over to his boyfriend "You know me better than that." He said kissing him on the cheek, "good morning to you too." Grimmjow's small smile was contagious causing the sides of Ichigo's lips to lift if only just a little.

Ichigo got ready as Grimmjow preoccupied himself with unpacking his stuff since he was already dressed for the day. If Grimmjow's estimate was correct then that meant that they were going to be in Japan for a while.

"Is it safe for me to come in now?" A voice asked from outside of Ichigo's room, but not from the door like one would expect, but rather it came from above Ichigo's bed from out the window.

Grimmjow growled. "Are you just going to come over whenever you damn please?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes again. He rolled his eyes too many times that day and the day just started. He pushed past him and opening the window letting Shinji in. "Will you knock it off, Grimmjow? I talked to Shiro and he said that the only way I could find out more about him is to keep him close."

Shinji stepped through the window and plopped down on Ichigo's bed, stretching his back across the mattress. "Is that your inner soul's name? It has no style." He said sticking his tongue out revealing a small metal ball pieced through it.

"It's just a nickname." Ichigo corrected. "His real name is Zangetsu."

Shinji looked up at him with a surprised expression before it relaxed a bit. "That's cute. I really like it."

Ichigo could feel Shiro stir inside of him in irritation, probably from being called cute; he ignored him just like he always did when he acted like a moody teenager.

"It seems you two are getting along, unless you are just putting up a front or something. Anyway, I knew that you went back to your inner world after I left so I just wanted to check in again to see if you are going mad. Make sure you take breaks since he needs as much rest as you do. He may be another soul living inside of you, but things would be easier if you treat him like a person and not some supernatural entity. My job here is done so peace out."

Just like before Shinji seemed to have vanished, but Ichigo was able to see his hop away this time. He really was getting stronger, well at least strong enough to be able to follow Shinji's movements. After fighting with Shiro his movements seemed slower and he was able to keep up with them without him having to use his powers to focus. Shiro mentioned that he was growing quickly which only encouraged him to work harder, but after a while he couldn't tell if he was getting stronger or Shiro was slowing down. It looked like Shinji was right. He needed to give Shiro a break.

"That idiot is going to let himself be seen. Normal humans can't exactly do shit like that." Grimmjow huffed. "It may be out of my place to talk since I'm a vampire and not a shinigami, but isn't that guy too comfortable for someone that escaped some sort of institution?"

Ichigo shrugged. It wasn't really his place to talk either. Sure he was a shinigami, but he still wasn't sure what everything was. He didn't know what this supposed institution was besides being in it sucked, they forced people with shinigami powers to work, and that Shinji escaped.

He was sort of on the same page as Grimmjow who also just discovered that gods of death existed. It seemed that Grimmjow knew something else that he didn't know. He knew that he shouldn't ask, but he just couldn't kill his curiosity.

"So what are you hiding from me?" Ichigo asked in a more serious voice.

Grimmjow clicked his tongue as he fished for words to say that wouldn't piss off his new boyfriend. "Umm, didn't that Hirako guy say that I couldn't tell you so there was no point in asking? I don't exactly like to keep secrets from you either."

Ichigo sighed and let his head drop to look at the floor. "It was worth a shot." Ichigo said deciding to avoid a fight by not bringing up the fact that Grimmjow lied to him before about the abroad program and the nature of him marking him.

"So with that out of the way we don't really have an agenda." Grimmjow said. "So how 'bout we go on a date or something since we haven't done anything like that yet."

Ichigo hesitated. He had a point. They messed around before Ichigo said that he would give dating a try. Shit, they messed around twice before they actually went on a real date too. Did that make him a slut? Ichigo knew that Grimmjow didn't really do relationships since he just preferred to mess around, but they were both giving it a chance so they might as well just do it now.

"It's afternoon since you slept in all freaking morning. So let's go out to lunch." He said before Ichigo confirmed or denied it. He took Ichigo by the hand and led him out of the room. "Quit your gawking; don't act so fucking surprised that I want to do something besides hook up." He said as if he has read his mind. He may not have been able to use the spell that let him read his mind, but it didn't seem like he even needed it.

Ichigo snapped back to reality, clutching Grimmjow's hand back in response only momentarily "yeah okay." He said. "There is a family restaurant not too far from here." Ichigo said releasing his hand only to sneak past the living room where the rest of his family was. His father and Yuzu sitting in front of the TV watching that stupid show 'Ghost Bust' or something starring that famous spirit medium Don Kanonji or something while Karin just rolled her eyes at them.

* * *

The restaurant wasn't too far away from Ichigo's house. He wanted to show Grimmjow around, but he was honestly too hungry to bother looking for a restaurant a bit further off, and damn he was seriously craving a cheeseburger despite it feeling like it was breakfast time.

After they ate lunch, Grimmjow watched Ichigo dig into his dessert. He couldn't help but be amused. He never imagined Ichigo to like sweets; he just didn't seem the type since he acted so cold and tough, but there he was his eyes practically sparkling when the two scoop ice cream sundae was placed in front of him. His facial expression didn't change, but his eyes said it all. He must have felt deprived from actual good desserts since the school they went to completely lacked them.

He took small bites of the strawberry sundae in front of him, making it last longer than it should. Grimmjow wasn't a big fan of sweets, but seeing the smaller male dig into the ice cream was unexpectedly cute. Who was he kidding? Ichigo always looked cute to him despite his more masculine personality and features.

"Strawberry suites you," Grimmjow said cracking a small smile.

"It's just that I don't like having hot fudge with chocolate ice cream." Ichigo said looking away to hide his face that was now warming up when he saw the man in front of him holding a smug expression on his face.

"You don't need to hide the fact that you're cute." Grimmjow said. "Here let me taste."

Ichigo started to scoop a small serving of his sundae when Grimmjow leaned across the table and kissed him on the lips keeping his balance with his forearm against the table.

Ichigo turned dark red when Grimmjow pulled away with a Cheshire grin stretched across his face, "yup, strawberry definitely suites you." Grimmjow said licking his lips.

A weird guttural sound came out of Ichigo's mouth as he tried to function what to say. "I-idiot, we're in public."

Grimmjow just shrugged. "Who gives a shit? We're in the back anyway."

Ichigo hid himself in his arms against the table and mumbled. "You're unbelievable."

Grimmjow laughed before helping himself to Ichigo's ice cream. The waiter eventually came back to the table with the check. Ichigo reached out for it, but it was quickly snatched by Grimmjow. "Oh no you don't, I'm paying." He said. "I asked you out, remember?"

"So what, I got dessert." Ichigo complained reaching over the table to try and get the check back. Grimmjow pulled it away out of his reach. "I don't give a shit. I'm paying."

Ichigo retracted his hand, giving up. He turned his attention away from the man across from him putting down a few bills. Where he got the currency from Japan, he had no idea.

The people at the other table caught his attention. He felt their glances and it immediately made Ichigo feel self-conscious. Did they see Grimmjow flirting with him? Dammit, that asshole seriously has too much of a presence. No, that wasn't it. It felt like they were being observed and it made the hair on the back of Ichigo's neck stand up. He really hoped they weren't homophobes. He's never had to deal with them before and he didn't think about the fact that he had entered the LBGT community until now. He wasn't ready to learn about how to avoid discrimination yet. He'd rather focus on not getting killed by vampires.

"Let's go." Ichigo said pulling Grimmjow out of his seat. He didn't like being observed and he just wanted to get out as quickly as possible. He used to be able to ignore it, but after being abducted twice his general trust in humanity has gone down.

"Geez, what's got you so eager?" Grimmjow asked after being pulled out of the restaurant.

"I got a bad feeling and wanted to leave." Ichigo said. "I'll show you around. You said you've never been to this part of Japan before."

They walked down the street. The road was quiet like it usually was. Karakura was a small town that not a lot of people knew about. Even though the town was usually quiet, it was unearthly silent and Ichigo could feel Shiro start to get uncomfortable too.

Ichigo looked to his right and then his left and Grimmjow grabbed him by his hand, realizing the same thing as Ichigo. Ichigo's head whipped over his right shoulder. He saw a movement in the shadows and started to back up looking for where the shadow came from.

"Where are you?" Ichigo asked out loud. "And what the hell is going on?"

A figure walked out of the shadows. "Geez, you noticed me with your naked eye?" He asked. "Now that is impressive."

The voice belonged to a bald man wearing all black. His teeth were bared in a cocky smile and he looked like a delinquent that Ichigo would usually find on the street. His only distinct features being the tattoos that looked like eye shadow around his eyes. Seriously, why did everyone have face tattoos, and why around the eyes? It seemed mega painful and dangerous.

"Who are you, why did you follow us from the restaurant, and where is everyone?" Ichigo asked before he was pushed behind his protective boyfriend. "Wait, what the hell, Grimmjow?"

"You heard him, what is going on here?" Grimmjow said ignoring Ichigo. "You better answer fast because I'm not patient." He growled.

"You don't seem to have control over your spiritual pressure, but you have a trained eye just like our captain." The bald man asked neglecting Grimmjow's question.

"I've only had a little experience controlling my spiritual powers and I can tell from what you are saying that you are a shinigami."

The bald man's eyes narrowed and his smirk stretched into a thin line. "You're not as stupid as I thought you'd be. You don't see the point of playing dumb." Ichigo could feel a pressure rise around him and he even saw Grimmjow's body tense up a little before he let it relax again.

He didn't really have a lot of experience with spiritual stuff. Heck he was new to vampires too. This month has been nothing, but new experiences for him and he could barely keep track of what happened on what day. It ticked him off and after being abducted twice he learned that he just couldn't go with the flow. If he didn't like something he'd have to learn how to take actions into his own hands.

He could tell one thing though without Shiro even needing to say anything. This guy was strong and he better be ready to defend himself.

"You're buddy there is a vampire right?" He asked. "I haven't fought with one in a long time, but I'm a little more excited to fight with you."

"Wait fight? Are we seriously going to fight out in the open like this?" Ichigo asked, hinting that he didn't want to fight.

"You aren't." Grimmjow barked. "I am. You aren't fit to fight. We need to get you out of here."

Ichigo's face scrunched up and he gritted his teeth together.

"Don't worry. I've created a protected space. No one can see or touch us and we can't do the same to them. It's like we are in a completely different place in a completely different reality." He said. "If you don't even know that then my suspicions are true. You are an unregistered shinigami."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he didn't say anything and the opposing shinigami barked in laughter. "Lucky, there has been a significant decrease in shinigami recently and the work load was getting pretty heavy. Sorry, I'm going to have to kill your mortal body. I hope we can be friends on the other side though."

Suddenly the skinhead was right in front of him forcing him to move back. Grimmjow quickly attempted to grab a hold of him, but he was too quick. How was he able to get behind Grimmjow? Was he seriously able to outrun him?

Grimmjow bared his teeth and swung a punch in his direction. It connected and with Grimmjow's monstrous strength it sent him sliding in the other direction.

"I'm not that into hand to hand combat." The bald man admitted. He reached his hand out by his side and suddenly a sword appeared in his hand. He unsheathed it revealing a beautiful metal blade. "This is more my style. How about it Sunshine? You able to follow up without spending a single day at Shino Academy?" He said directing his attention towards Ichigo.

"Your opponent is right here." Grimmjow growled getting ready to charge towards him.

"No he isn't, he's right here." Ichigo said reaching his hand over his back he pulled upwards and suddenly a black sword the size of his body appeared out of thin air. Grimmjow's voice got stuck in the back of his throat as he looked at his boyfriend who he thought was defenseless wield a blade that large.

"Okay, when the hell did you get that?" Grimmjow managed to vocalize.

Ichigo ignored him he was more focused on the blade that suddenly clashed against his own. The bald man's eyes looked demonic as the look of pure excitement spread across his face. "What's your name hybrid? I've only heard stories about humans having shinigami powers so I want to remember this."

"Ichigo Kurosaki." He said.

"That's a nice strong name. I like it." The bald man said. "My name is Ikkaku Madarame. Since we are going to be on the same side soon let's have a nice fight."

Grimmjow growled and charged at Ikkaku, shoving him off of the orange-haired vampire on the defense. "I said I was your opponent. I'm not letting you hurt him."

Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "Sorry vampire, but I forgot to mention that shinigami patrols in twos. If your so antsy pay attention to your own opponent."

As soon as the words left his lips Grimmjow's arms were tugged behind him. Grimmjow yanked his arms out of the grip of the person behind him with his overpowering strength. He whipped his head around and saw a feminine looking man with hair that reached midway down his neck. Part of his hair was grown out a bit longer and was braided. His feathers decorated his eyes and hair and he was dressed in black just like his partner except he wore an orange collar to contrast the dark color.

"Yumichika, can you take care of that one?" Ikkaku called over.

The one standing before Grimmjow sighed, "Whatever you say."

Grimmjow looked between the two of them and gritted his teeth. The odds didn't look good for him. He wanted to protect Ichigo, but he couldn't fight the both of them at once. Even though the more feminine man looked weak he could tell that he was not to be underestimated especially since he never fought a shinigami before and didn't know what they were capable of.

He thought about grabbing Ichigo and running, but he didn't know what it meant to be in a protected space. He had no idea how to get out, but even if he did Ichigo mentioned that these guys followed them from the restaurant. Even if they did manage to escape they can probably find them again. No matter how he looked at it there was no way those two were going to let them out without a fight.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo said as he pushed his over-sized sword against Ikkaku's "I know you want to protect me and you've done well up until this point doing just that."

The other shinigami opposing Grimmjow stood their patiently as Grimmjow listened to his partner, "but I don't want our relationship to be just you protecting me. I don't want to be the damsel in distress anymore."

Ichigo let out a blast from his mouth that sounded like he just shouted. It knocked Ikkaku off balance and Ichigo cleaved into his side drawing the first blood causing the other to hop away to give them some distance as he gripped onto his wound. The air around Grimmjow started to smell incredible as shinigami blood started to flow through Ikkaku's wound. "I've realized that I will no longer be allowed to have a normal life, but if that's the case then I want to be able to fight on my own."

Grimmjow watched Ichigo in utter amazement. He has never seen Ichigo do anything remotely like fighting, but here he was fighting against an opponent that Grimmjow could tell was strong. Also what the hell were his powers? He thought that Ichigo only had healing powers, but it seemed that he was able to summon a sword and even blast people away with his voice.

He never thought of himself as a relationship sort of guy, but here Ichigo was, the exception to that rule. He didn't want anyone to ever hurt him and that was still true, though seeing him fight made a warm feeling well up inside of him as he watched Ichigo swing an oversized sword that he handled so easily despite this being his first fight and that sword looking way too heavy for a guy his size. It seemed like pride, like he was proud of him or something. He just didn't understand where it was coming from.

Despite the new found emotion, sweat still drenched the back of his neck. He was glad to see that he can somewhat hold his own when he was in danger, but that doesn't mean that he wanted to see him fighting. Fighting equals crisis and he was seriously holding himself back from jumping in between the two of them in an effort to defend his boyfriend.

It seemed like he wasn't allowed to because now he had a new nuisance that was waiting patiently for him to give back his attention.

"Is your conversation over?" The flamboyant shinigami, Yumichika said. "I've been itching to fight too."

He grappled with Grimmjow before pulling his own sword out of nowhere and cleaving it into Grimmjow's shoulder, it was shallow though.

Grimmjow hopped away, enraged by his opponent. "That's dirty; we were having a fist fight." He said gripping his wound that dripped blood onto his hand.

"It's not dirty to use your resources when you are fighting for the kill." Yumichika said. "There is no such thing as fighting dirty when you are avoiding pain."

A grin stretched across Grimmjow's face and his eyes turned wild as he stretched his hand out in front of him, his fingers bent like they were claws, and gripped onto his bicep to hold it steady.

"If that's your logic then this should be playing by the rules too." Grimmjow laughed maniacally as a ball of blue energy formed near the palm of his hand and he launched it forward.

The Gran Rey Cero slammed into Yumichika's chest sending him flying backwards. He didn't get up, but Grimmjow could hear him groaning showing that he was alive. He could barely consider that a fight, but it seemed that he was more durable then that Tosen bastard who just turned into sand.

Yumichika would have had a better chance of winning if he kept it a fist fight even though Grimmjow was faster and stronger than him. He didn't know that much about shinigami, but he could tell that much from the few minutes they were fighting. It wasn't a fair fight to begin with.

Grimmjow walked over and grabbed onto Yumichika's orange collar forcing him to sit up and stood over him intimidatingly. He compelled himself to ignore the strong scent of blood that was poisoning his judgment so he could focus on the task at hand. "How do we get out of here?" Grimmjow growled, tightening his grip on the shinigami.

"Only a shinigami can break through a protected space, either that or it wears off." Yumichika said calmly so he wouldn't aggravate the wound he got.

"I'll let you live, but you are going to have to leave us alone. I don't need anyone finding out about Ichigo." He said dropping him, letting the wounded opponent's head to hit the concrete floor.

He looked over to Ichigo's fight that seemed to be ending as well. He didn't know the details on what Ichigo was doing to train his powers since he wasn't exactly meditating under waterfalls, but whatever he was doing it was working. He still needed to resist jumping in, but he knew that he didn't know what he was up against and he would only get in the way.

He looked down at his hands that were covered in blood that wasn't only his own, but his opponents. He resisted the urge to go over to the shinigami and drink the blood that flowed out of him, knowing that if he did so much as lick the blood on his hands he would only want more.

* * *

Ichigo was doing pretty well for his first fight. It wasn't technically his first fight since he fought delinquents, Yammy, and had to escape a room full of freaking vampires. He even momentarily fought Tosen and Aizen at a disadvantage when he was abducted the first time. Still, when he fought delinquents he didn't exactly have powers yet and when he fought Yammy and tried to escape from his abduction he still didn't know he had powers.

When he was able to use the unrelenting force shout for the first time (He decided to call it that since it resembled _Skyrim's_ most famous shout.) he didn't have a grasp on how it actually worked. Now after sparing and learning from Shiro he had a better grasp on how to control his abilities. He never thought the day would come where he would need to learn how to use a sword, but here he was fighting with a sword that was freaking huge and should have been way too heavy to swing with ease, but it felt light in his hands and it felt familiar like he's had it his whole life.

He struck back against Ikkaku, his sword and sheath transformed into a weapon that looked like a spear. Ichigo learned the hard way that it wasn't a spear though, it was a three part pole that was able to split apart and his opponent was able to control masterfully.

There was a lot of blood flowing out of his hip and he could hear Shiro nagging inside of his head telling him not to make careless mistakes. He wasn't out yet though. He was completely focused on the task at hand and he was prepared for any surprises that were about to be thrown his way.

Off to the side he heard the sound of a blast and a blue light glowed on his and his opponent's face before it disappeared. His opponent's attention was diverted to the source of the sound and Ichigo took that as an opportunity to jump at his opponent. He cleaved a gash into his shoulder, purposely making it shallow so he wouldn't cause a fatal injury.

His opponent collapsed to one knee, his weapon falling to the ground next to him and disappearing as he clutched onto his bleeding shoulder. He looked up at Ichigo. "Damn, it looks like I was wrong. I'm unlucky."

Ichigo placed his weapon over his back and it disappeared as well. Ikkaku shakily picked himself off the ground and Ichigo had to restrain himself from trying to help him up. "You win this round and you're probably going to regret not killing us." He said before appearing by his friend's side that was lying on the floor next to where Grimmjow was sitting.

He scooped up his buddy and disappeared. The area around them seemed to shatter and they now stood in the middle of the street that was now populated by other people.

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow and he returned the look. Their first instinct was to get out of that area. They were both bleeding quite a bit and the last thing they needed was to cause a panic.

"Wow looks like you took a real beating." Ichigo and Grimmjow turned around to see Shinji. "I'd hate to see what those other guys look like."

Ichigo looked around him. Even though he was bleeding enough for blood to be dripping onto the streets nobody that passed by seemed to really mind or even notice.

"Don't worry. I'm a shinigami so I have unique abilities too." Shinji said before Ichigo could ask anything. "I created an illusion for everyone in the surrounding area. No one can see you guys, though I try to restrain from using my powers since I'm trying to not get noticed by the institution. Looks like our days of hiding are over now."

* * *

"The next time I see that fucker he is so dead." Grimmjow said examining Ichigo's wound.

They were in one of the rooms in the clinic area of the house so that they had access to all the first-aid equipment. They were able to go in unnoticed by Ichigo's family by walking in through the back entrance so none of them were aware of the state the two that have just arrived the day before were in.

Grimmjow wanted to wrap Ichigo's arm because Ichigo wasn't able to do it himself with one hand with his less dominant arm.

"Why don't you use that spell you used when you reattached my arm to heal yourself?" Grimmjow asked.

"I've only used it once before and I have no idea how I did that. Shiro never really got down to teaching me how to do that, but he did say that I can only use it on others." Ichigo said.

"Okay, seriously. Who's Shiro?" Grimmjow asked. "Is there something I'm missing?"

"You wouldn't understand." Shinji said who situated himself in a chair off to the side where a patient's parent or friend would usually sit.

"Do you want me to try and heal you, Grimmjow?" Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow and observed the gash in his arm that was caused by Yumichika. Grimmjow didn't even let Ichigo clean it yet since he made Ichigo's wound his first priority.

"I wouldn't do that." Shinji said. "Healing spells are rare, but they take a large amount of energy to perform. We don't know what will happen so you might just want to cover a small cut like that instead of wasting your energy."

"How the hell is that a small cut?" Ichigo asked. "Cuts like that tend to need stitches. Heck, I need stitches too. Why are we wrapping my arm?" He said pulling his arm away from Grimmjow to stop him from wasting any bandages.

"Do you want me to get your dad?" Shinji asked.

"I think he would be more concerned why there is a total stranger in the house." Ichigo said as he pondered how he was going to fix his arm since he didn't exactly trust Grimmjow or Shinji to know how to do it.

"He'll be fine." Shinji said rolling his eyes and getting up from his seat so he could go get the goofy bearded man.

"Wait, Hirako." Ichigo called after him, but he was ignored.

It was silent for a few moments before Isshin walked in wearing his white jacket that he wore when he was looking at patients. His expression was stern and out of character. Which stunned Ichigo silent, he never really seen his dad look so cold before like he had something on his mind that he was keeping silent about. He expected him to freak out crying that his baby was in serious pain and he was going to make it all better or something equally embarrassing. He didn't know what he preferred though.

He worked silently and finished up quickly and neatly like how he has been performing for years before turning to Grimmjow.

"You didn't even clean your arm. I'll take care of you too, take a seat." He said and did the same procedure on Grimmjow as he did his own son.

He turned and walked towards the door and stopped midway through it.

"I'm not going to ask any questions, just make sure you get home safe. I don't want to lose any more family." Then he was gone leaving Ichigo and Grimmjow alone in silence.

* * *

"Damn, you bastards got beaten up badly." A hulking man said in front of the two hospital beds. Two shinigami laid there stitched up in a small hospital room with their heads hung. "So let me ask you guys, are they strong?"

Ikkaku looked up at his captain's large figure and saw the look of unconcern written across his face. He didn't even try to act like he was concerned about them. That guy only cares for one thing and one thing only.

"Yeah, they're strong, a vampire and an unregistered shinigami." Ikkaku said. "The best part is that they are only going to get stronger."

A smile started to crack across the larger man's face before it turned demonic and he gritted his teeth in anticipation.

"Great, I wouldn't have it any other way." The one thing this guy cares about is the thrill of the fight.

* * *

 **A/N: Once again sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter was interesting enough to make up for it. I'll do my best to stay weekly. Make sure you follow, favorite, and review. Every review goes a long way with me.**


	20. Chapter 20

How did we get to 20 chapters? I can't believe how much time I poured into writing this story, and how much time you guys spent reading it. Seriously, thank you 100 followers. I can't believe so many people like my story enough to follow it and I can't believe so many of you keep asking for more each week. Let's see if I can keep your loyalty.

* * *

Chapter 20

"Our time is running out, Isshin." Shinji said.

It was late at night. Isshin's family already put themselves to bed. Despite Ichigo's and Grimmjow's jetlag they managed to fall asleep as well, they had an unexpectedly tiring day. Isshin was about ready to go to bed too, but he was too antsy after seeing his son in a state where his blood was shed. He knew that the day would come eventually, but he has always been over protective of his kids.

As much as he didn't want to accept reality he knew his friend sitting across from him was right. "My sources say that there have been a lack of shinigami and they are starting to search again. If they are in the human world that could only mean that they checked the afterlife already and didn't find enough potential." He said.

"You don't need to tell me, Shinji." Isshin said, nursing a glass of scotch. "If they are looking down here they are probably looking for us."

Shinji shrugged. "We had a good run while it lasted, but do you seriously think that we are able to escape this time?"

Isshin knew what he was insinuating. Urahara was a skilled scientist and it was due to his help and abilities that they successfully able to escape Central 46 despite their ranks. They were able to hide because Urahara sent fake signals all over the world to throw them off their tracks. For who-knows-how-many-years they were even able to live a somewhat normal human life though, but is seems that it wasn't going to last any longer.

If there were two shinigami in their town that could only mean that they were closing in and they were no longer patient enough to let the escapees roam free. They were probably needed and they were probably desperate.

They confirmed that Ichigo was an unregistered hybrid despite him and his vampire partner defeating them. They probably returned to Central 46 in search of backup, but it was better than Ichigo and Grimmjow killing them. If they started to lose the small amount of shinigami they had then they would have started to take more drastic measures and he wanted to keep his son as human as possible. He didn't want his son to kill anyone if it can be avoided and if the worst case scenario happened and he gets taken his punishment wouldn't be as devastating.

The institution probably started to connect the dots already and learned that this was where they were hiding. There was no point in sending off fake signals anymore. If there was a hybrid then there had to have been at least one shinigami that mated with a human. If there was a hybrid of that age that has not been registered then that could only mean that he was the child of one of the escapees.

Isshin cursed his ability to not keep him hidden better. He knew it was bound to happen one day, but he was hoping that Ichigo would come out of it unscathed. If his predictions were correct then that means that they were going to target him. He was the best way to find the rest of them.

"You realize we need to move too, right?" Shinji asked. "My sources also say that with the interference of the Aizen clan the hunters started to become more active too. Central 46 isn't going to like that."

"It looks like they are going to take more drastic steps to try to keep the world under control. I agree that they are necessary, but I disagree with most of their orders. There is no need to interfere with what is going on in the realm of the living." Isshin said finishing the glass of scotch.

"You think they are going to try and have another war with the hunters?" Shinji asked. "I was really hoping after all these years that they would learn not to try anything and that there was no purpose to this war."

"You know better than that. Being a shinigami is all about change and adjusting to the new ways of life, but Central 46 has always been conservative." Isshin said. "It looks like we need to prepare for the worst, and for that we are going to need Urahara."

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for what's to come so I already made it a point to get some things off my chest." Shinji said.

"What exactly do you feel guilty for? You've never really made any solid ties in this world."

"Well…"

Isshin pinched his temples when he saw Shinji's expression that didn't even look guilty, but his hands were positioned in the cliché 'I don't know' pose, which could only mean one thing.

This guy seriously decided to drop that bomb without consulting him? The matter Shinji was suggesting had absolutely nothing to do with him. It was meant to be his job to tell her, but it looks like he decided to take matters into his own hands. He was so selfish. Shinji may have started the fire, but it looked like he might be the one to get burned.

"I need to take a walk." Isshin grumbled getting up to walk out of the house Shinji following behind him. "Why do you have to make things so complicated now of all times?"

Shinji shrugged. "I don't know. It's sort of a hobby at this point."

* * *

Grimmjow sat against Ichigo's door with his head against it listening to the conversation down stairs. He knew it, that Hirako guy totally knew Ichigo's dad and they were up to something. He hinted towards it, but he didn't know for sure.

He didn't fully understand what any of what they were saying meant, but he did understand one thing. Something was coming and they needed to prepare. He wanted to help out as best he could and play a role if it meant that Ichigo would be safe, but he felt so left in the dark that he couldn't see what was in front of him.

He didn't know what Urahara had to do with any of this, but he must have known something too even if he was in a different country. The abroad program had only about two weeks left and within that time they are going to have to survive without his help. He said that he wanted Ichigo to go home because it was going to be safer there, but despite there being a lack of vampires here there were plenty of shinigami that seemed to desire taking Ichigo's life and apparently forcing him to work. This had to be some sort of messed up joke.

Grimmjow gripped his arm. Despite that guy warning Ichigo that it would have been dangerous for him to use that power again he did it anyway. His arm was completely patched up, but Ichigo warned him that he better not let his dad see it since he put stitches in. That was before he passed out from exhaustion. It seemed that using a bunch of his powers in one day wore him out and that weird healing power was the thing that pushed him over. That meant no late night sexy time for him which only frustrated him more since now would have been the _perfect_ time since his sisters were asleep and his dad and the other shinigami that meddled with their lives were gone.

Grimmjow understood that Ichigo didn't know the truth about his dad, but he really wanted to tell him that his father knew about his new found powers at least even if it meant not telling Ichigo that his father was also one. He didn't want Ichigo to feel alone in this since he understood that there was no way he was enough support as upset as that made him. He'll be there for him, but he really hoped that him being there would be enough for him for the time being at least.

His father seemed to be pushing it a bit if he didn't want his son to at least be prepared and know his options. It seemed ridiculous that he wanted to keep all of this a secret from him. Isn't knowing all of that information kind of crustal? Grimmjow kind of convinced himself that he somewhat understood the information he listened in on, but he was still new to this shinigami thing. He had no idea what this Central 46 was or what that institution really did or how many troops they had that they could send after them, and what their actual goal really was.

After meeting Ichigo's father he started to question his own. He wondered if his own father would keep secrets from him. His father was incredibly laid back so he tended to be pretty open. He didn't plan too much nor did he desire making his clan stronger. That was mostly Grimmjow's wishes that he agreed to. Maybe that was the reason why he wanted Grimmjow to take over as the head of the clan despite him still being capable of doing it himself. Maybe he thought that taking care of their expanding clan was too much work and he became lazy. That sounded more like him.

Grimmjow lifted his hand to his nose and took a deep breath. He was hungry. There was no denying it. He lost some blood during that fight with that shinigami Yumichika and he fired a Gran Rey Cero which also ate away at his energy. He showered and washed his hands to the point where his hands were almost raw, but he could still smell his blood on his. It didn't smell as good as Ichigo's, probably because Ichigo also had human blood in him, but damn it was still able to spark his appetite.

He wished Ichigo was still awake, but he knew he would only be hungrier if Ichigo didn't heal him. He can wait a little longer, but till then he had to protect Ichigo at least until his father came back. Then he would be free to sleep. Vampires needed to be invited into the house if they wanted to prey on Ichigo, but shinigami played by different rules. They had a clear goal in mind and they will be back, and they will be stronger.

* * *

Ichigo woke up in his bed in the arms of Grimmjow which he was gradually becoming more used to. He's been home for about a week now and there haven't been any more instances with shinigami. It was surprisingly peaceful and he even sometimes remembered that he had a boyfriend. That's right that was a thing now. He was no longer single and he was in a relationship with a guy from a foreign country and he was an entity that should really only exist in mythology. He was getting used to the routine of waking up in Grimmjow's arms that was always asleep way longer then he was since he always insists staying up until Ichigo was asleep.

It already started to dawn on him that usually strangers wouldn't stay in someone's house for so long. He may have known him for an entire semester at school, but he was a stranger to the rest of his family. His dad seemed to be getting along a bit too well with him and even already started to treat him with the same treatment as he treated his own kids…which Ichigo honestly found a bit off putting.

His father seriously started to dote on him just like he did his own kids and even started to attack him like how he attacks Ichigo. Ichigo doesn't know what Grimmjow did to make his father like him to that extent, but it was still seriously wrong. What if Grimmjow doesn't move out of the way in time and his father ends up shattering his foot against his face? It won't exactly be easy to keep Grimmjow being a vampire a secret if his dad ends up breaking his foot which Grimmjow comes out completely unharmed.

He helped out with chores so it didn't take too long for him to gain Yuzu's approval, but Karin was a bit more of a harder egg to crack. She probably figured out that he and Grimmjow was a thing, but she kept quiet since Yuzu seemed still oblivious. It takes a lot to get her approval on anything so Grimmjow seemed to have to deal with that when that time comes. His father was a total wild card since Ichigo had no idea what he was thinking. Sometimes he was his goofy self and embarrassed the hell out of him all the time in front of his boyfriend who just howled in laughter at Ichigo's flustered expressions, but when he thought that nobody was looking he wore such a serious expression that really put Ichigo on edge. Then there was that time he took care of his and Grimmjow's wounds with that solemn expression. He said those words that were very unlike him and Ichigo just didn't know how to take it.

"Morning, Ichi." Grimmjow said curling up further into Ichigo if it was even possible. Damn his body was seriously too hot.

Ichigo stared at Grimmjow's face that was half lidded and hazy like he still didn't want to wake up for the day. He was amazed how quickly he was able to heal compared to him. There was no evidence of any injury from a week ago in America and even from the shinigami attack where he had his arm cut up pretty bad even if he did heal that one.

Ichigo always felt that he healed fast and that was before he learned that he was a shinigami, but vampires seemed to be in a league of their own. Ichigo remembered back to the burns that Grimmjow had when he saved him when he was abducted by Tosen, but they were completely gone after Grimmjow drank from him…and they did those other things. Not only that, but despite having his arm torn off he still suffered some injuries from that battle in the Natural Science building. There was not even a trace of it while it took Ichigo nearly a week for all his cuts and aches to go away.

"Ichigoooo, are you awake yet?" He heard his little sister call from downstairs.

"Barely, what's wrong Yuzu?" Ichigo asked.

"I need you to run to the store for me. I prepared a list of things we need." Yuzu called out. "Take Grimmjow with you if you think you are going to need extra hands."

Ichigo sighed, but he couldn't complain. Being home was so boring and he was itching to do stuff. He went out with Grimmjow a lot and he hung out with Rukia and his other friends from high school, but he wasn't used to not seeing Renji for long periods of time since he was always there. There was no way he was going to admit that he missed him though. No way.

It didn't help that Rukia was also planning on leaving that night since her brother finally decided to tell her that he agreed to let Renji join the clan. It took way too long, it must have seemed like he still wasn't sure. There was only one week left so she must have been biting her nails that entire time. He was happy for Renji to finally be allowed to turn into a vampire, but he would be lonely without the both of them.

He was glad that he was able to introduce Grimmjow to her and he mostly got her acceptance by that point, but she was a bit difficult to win over. He had no idea how Renji was able to do it…probably because they had history. Ichigo knew that Grimmjow would let her accept him eventually even if it seemed like they weren't there yet.

Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow expectantly and he groaned. "Do we have to?"

"I can go, but do you seriously feel safe leaving me alone?" That made Grimmjow get out of bed and start pulling a shirt over his head. It was manipulative, but it worked.

The entire time that Ichigo was home Grimmjow never left him alone when they went outside. All of Ichigo's high school friends had the honor of meeting him and his childhood friend Tatsuki was incredibly proud of Ichigo finally coming out as bisexual which all his friends were surprised to learn since they always saw him as so independent and hardheaded. It amazed them even more that Ichigo decided to date someone who was even more independent and hardheaded then he was.

Tatsuki came out as gay a long time ago and she was silently waiting to see the day Ichigo came out too. He never admitted his sexuality to her, but that girl had a miraculous way of figuring out what anyone was thinking. For someone who was so good at sports, especially more contact sports to a point that made Renji have to run for his money when she played rugby with him, she became a psychology major in college. It fit her surprisingly well.

"We'll be down in a second." Ichigo called out, triumphant that he was able to get his lazy boyfriend to move as he started to get ready himself.

They walked downstairs, Grimmjow a little slower than Ichigo since he was clearly a bit more tired and lazy then he was. Ichigo picked up the list on the kitchen table before walking out of the house calling out that he was leaving. Yuzu quickly thanked him as she continued working on lunch since they slept through breakfast.

It didn't take too long to go down to the market and get everything that they needed and Grimmjow even seemed to perk up a little as he started to wake up more. He got distracted by all the food and even teased Ichigo. The orangette never understood why he insisted on embarrassing him in public. He was such a child sometimes. Shouldn't someone who was give or take 220 years old act more mature?

As they walked out with their bags in hand Grimmjow seemed to have a bit more of a skip in his step.

"Okay, seriously. What has gotten you all excited?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's because when we act all like this we look like a married couple or something." Grimmjow joked.

Ichigo turned bright red. "Sh-shut up," He stuttered. "Since when did you get all lovey-dovey like that?"

Grimmjow thought back. He always sort of just acted like that around Ichigo. He never really minded cuddling up to him and he enjoyed teasing him from the day he met him. Now more than ever his flirting would be accepted and even on rare occasions, like once in a blue moon, Ichigo would flirt back. It was always a relief since it reminded him that Ichigo acknowledged the relationship.

"Geez, since always, you are always so oblivious." Grimmjow said nudging him as they walked down the street with cloth shopping bags in hands.

"Aww, isn't that just adorable. Who would have thought that a vampire would fall in love with a shinigami, and a hybrid one to boot?"

Instantaneously Ichigo and Grimmjow felt an immense pressure. Oh no, not again. It's only been a week. He wasn't ready to fight someone stronger yet. It was too late though, all the people on the street vanished from their site as they were forcefully dragged into another protected space.

Ichigo still didn't understand how to get out and he was already grasping at everything that he learned to try and shatter the area they were in, but before he could even try anything a terrifying man dressed in black and white cloak stood in front of him with his arms to his side, guard completely down like he didn't see Ichigo and Grimmjow as a valid threat it was that or he had some kind of death wish.

The man was tall to a point that it was freakish. He thought Grimmjow was tall, but this guy seemed to tower over him and the way he spiked his hair didn't exactly help make him look any shorter. He had a large scar over his left eye that stretched from top to bottom of his face and he wore an eye patch over his other eye.

Excluding the cloak he was wearing it was obvious that this guy was a shinigami. Just from the presence he gave off Ichigo could tell that he was strong. The power that he was emitting was so strong that Ichigo felt like his lungs were going to cave in on themselves.

"As much as I'd hate to break up the happy couple I've been ordered to collect you dead or alive. It's time to stop running around hybrid. You are coming with me whether you like it or not." He said. His voice was deep and intimidating; it made the hairs on Ichigo's arms stand on end.

There was no way he was going to beat this guy and there was no way he was going to be allowed to escape again. Grimmjow already seemed to take the initiative though. He dropped the bags he was carrying, shoved Ichigo behind him, and lunged at the shinigami, but in a blink of an eye and before either of them fully knew what was going on Grimmjow was being crushed under the large shinigami's knee.

The shinigami tutted from his lower, but still plenty tall position, "It looks like you guys aren't planning on making things easy for me. I'm glad; if I just came to collect you then this wouldn't have been any fun. I hope you are ready hybrid."

* * *

"Okay Renji, I'm about to go to the airport. I'll tell you when I get there." Rukia said. She was sitting in front of her laptop. It was probably not smart to be on it before she decided to fly all the way to America, but she really wanted to talk to Renji before she left to be stranded in the air for fourteen hours.

Renji was still in the abroad program. Just because Ichigo left doesn't mean the world stops moving. A lot happened this year and things seemed to calm down there when Ichigo left, probably because Aizen left too.

Apparently things were looking up. Renji was getting along well with her brother, his friend who was in a coma due to being attacked by a vampire woke up, and his friend other friend was making pretty good progress in his training to become a hunter.

"No way, tell me now. You seem really bothered by this. Seriously, you've been looking a bit off for like an entire week." Renji said sounding concerned. Rukia was going to fly over to America so that she could be the one to turn Renji, but she learned something recently that she has been keeping to herself. He didn't want to see her bothered and wanted her to be happy when he finally gets to see her in person after months of just video chat and Facebook messenger.

"Alright fine, but you have to keep this a secret from Ichigo since it concerns him." Rukia said.

Renji sat there waiting for her to continue. He was used to keeping large secrets from Ichigo and he was prepared to have to do it again for Rukia's sake. If she were to ask him for an arm he would respond with 'which one?'

She sat on her bed, fidgeting with her hair as she tried to look for the right words to say. "So I met this guy about a week ago who I've never met before-"

"Oh God, you aren't replacing me are you?" Renji joked.

"Haha funny, no he was sorta weird looking, but he apparently knew something about Ichigo that I didn't know about." She said. "Renji, do you know about shinigami?"

Renji's eyes widened. It was a subject that he wasn't exactly exposed to for a while. "Yeah, Ichigo just discovered that he was a shinigami. I told you about that. Did you talk to him about it?"

Rukia shook her head. "I visited him a few times, but I couldn't find it in me to bring it up. I couldn't stop looking at him. This entire thing is driving me crazy."

Renji gave her a soft look. "This entire thing is crazy, but I know Ichigo. He would tell us that this has nothing to do with us."

Rukia shook her head and her eyes hardened. "You know I hate when Ichigo says that, especially since this time it does has something to do with me."

Renji looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about?"

Rukia sighed and looked away. She watched a bird hop around probably looking for food outside of her window. "You know you are the only person I've ever showed that picture of my dad to right?"

"Yeah, why is that by the way?" Renji asked.

"There was a reason I was naturally drawn to Ichigo when I was put in class with him, and it wasn't because of the smell of his blood though I will admit now that it was a factor. The real reason why was because he looked a lot like my dad." Rukia said pulling a picture out of her drawer that was next to her bed. It had a simple picture of a young looking man with black spikey hair with a terrifying resemblance to Ichigo that Renji hasn't seemed to notice until Rukia brought it to his attention.

"Oh shit, I never thought of that before. Now that I'm seeing it it's kind of amazing." Renji said picking up his laptop and brining it closer to his face so he could have a closer look. The image on Rukia's computer changed to that of the redhead's spikey pineapple ponytail before Renji brought his laptop back onto his lap changing the image back to his tattooed face.

"My name before I was adopted was Rukia Shiba. I've told you this a long time ago. My surname came from my father, Kaien Shiba. Ichigo's surname came from his mother, but his father's original name was Isshin Shiba."

Renji's eyes bulged out of his head and his mouth slipped open and the only sound that was able to come out of him were guttural sounds, but he was finally able to muster something out. "H-how do you know all of this?"

"The man who I still don't know about apparently knew both of them. He told me that both of our fathers were shinigami and they were brothers that have escaped some sort of institution together. I don't really know what that means, but I can put only a few things together. Ichigo and I are cousins and I am also part shinigami."

* * *

 **A/N: Before you ask: Yes, I was planning that the entire time too. I'm not sure if I mentioned my unhealthy love for plot twists. I hope I'm not killing any of you because I think I heard some minds being blown in the distance...Those minds are probably being blown from something else. Make sure you tell me your criticism or if you actually enjoyed this chapter by leaving a review. If not you can just send me some death threats or something. I'll only cry a little.**


	21. Chapter 21

It's been a rough week where I slit my wrists to bleed time that I use to please people without regarding that I need to be happy with myself...That got dark, I'm so sorry. (I'm not self-harming myself like so many of you believe. The only thing I'm cutting is sleep from my schedule.) On a happier note, kudos to all of you who read this far. I was a total ass with what I pulled last week. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

* * *

Chapter 21

 _Shit. Shit, shit, shit._ Ichigo kept cursing in his head, his jaw clenched so shut that it was sore as he analyzed the situation. Right now it felt like his stomach dropped to the floor as he watched his boyfriend claw at the ground in a futile attempt to unpin himself from the shinigami that only pressed him further into the street with his knee. He looked completely amused like some sort of psychopath and it wasn't doing anything good to Ichigo's nerves. It felt like every hair on his body was sticking up in pure horror and his blood ran ice cold.

The madman pressed even harder on Grimmjow which managed to coax a whimper out of the usually tough vampire which didn't sit well with Ichigo.

"Don't hurt him." He shouted and summoned his power causing a large blast in the direction of the shinigami. All he wanted was to break Grimmjow free even if it meant that he would get thrown too. That was the plan, but the man didn't budge. His cloak got whipped around by the wind, but the man himself remained completely unmoved and he wore a, dare he say, bored expression, so bored that it looked like he would be more amused if he spent the day watching paint dry.

"Seriously, if that is all you've got then this is going to be way more boring than I thought it would be." He said lifting his leg from Grimmjow and letting him go. Grimmjow quickly scrambled out from under him and went back to guarding Ichigo. "At this pace the vampire will be a more interesting fight then you. Seriously, spell based shinigami are always so damn spineless."

"Ichigo, find a way to get out of here." Grimmjow said. "I'll hold him off." He said lunging out at the opposing shinigami. The man had a sword strapped to his waist rather than just summoning it like how Ichigo, Ikkaku, and Yumichika did, but he didn't even bother drawing it as he focused on hand to hand combat with Grimmjow.

Grimmjow was able to hold his own somewhat, but it was obvious that the other guy had the upper hand and he wasn't even going all out. He watched as Grimmjow became more and more exhausted and irritated, but he kept pushing forward with the agility and intensity as a panther with furious kicks, punches, and even tumbles, but he was still gaining no ground.

It was obvious that he was wearing himself out too fast, but he wasn't backing down in the least. His will power could only take him so far and he was on a time limit that can immediately run out as soon as the shinigami decided that he just wanted to get this over with and kill him faster.

Ichigo grasped at something, anything, but too his despair he wasn't able to figure out how to shatter the protective space. It frustrated him to no end. He tried so hard to not be useless, to not be a burden, to fight on his own, but he still couldn't accomplish one thing while Grimmjow fought to protect him when he could easily just step aside and let the shinigami take him away. No, he was not going to let Grimmjow get hurt for him anymore.

"Wait!" Ichigo called out. "Don't hurt him anymore. I'll surrender, just leave him alone."

 _"Oh hell nah."_ Ichigo heard echo inside of his head and his entire body started to become cold and stiff as if he were being encased in ice. It seemed that time started to slow down around him and Ichigo's eyes were stuck on Grimmjow's clearly upset face. He couldn't tell whether he was angry or depressed, but it was obvious that he didn't like what Ichigo said and Ichigo could see why, but for his own good he's going to have to live with it. _"There ain't no way dat I'd agree ta let ya hand yurself over like dat. King, ride backseat fer a bit and hang on tight 'cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride."_

Ichigo's scleras started to turn dark again like when he uses that weird healing power. His irises turned a golden yellow and a strange malicious smile that can compete with Grimmjow's took over his face and he let out a loud cackle, but that voice wasn't Ichigo's it was darker, scarier, and sounded like it belonged to something that crawled out of hell rather than anything that came out of Ichigo's mouth.

It didn't take him long to realize that whatever that was it wasn't Ichigo as his opponent's eyes were glued to his face and a smile stretched across that mimicked the one that Ichigo, or…whatever replaced Ichigo had on.

It was weird having Shiro obtain control on his body. It was like he could feel every move he made and he could see everything from the first person perspective just like how he should, but he felt incredibly stiff, and that was probably because he had no control over his body. He couldn't even relax his muscles or blink. Every move that he made was not by his own volition, but Shiro's and he had front row seats for every action he took.

This sensation wasn't new to him. He definitely felt something like this before, but not to this extent. Whenever he was in a fight and his body would move on its own. He always thought that it was just because of instinct, but it seemed that Shiro was the source of it and the driving force that moved him and attacked before anything too bad happened to him. It wasn't even exclusive to fighting. The first time he healed Grimmjow was thanks to him. He moved on his own without him really thinking. Healing Grimmjow wasn't necessary for Ichigo's survival, but Shiro must have taken sympathy since it was Ichigo's desire to see Grimmjow again that helped him overcome vampirism.

He felt his arm stretch out and a large weight in his hand appeared that belonged to the large sword that he was able to summon. Shiro was going to fight. There was no way he was going to just sit back and let Ichigo hand himself over. He was too free spirited and it seemed that he has officially lost patience with Ichigo. He wasn't strong enough and it frustrated him and it only seemed to fuel Shiro's anger even more. Seriously, this guy was so hard to work with. It seemed like they had a lot in common.

"There we go. Now the real challenge starts." The opposing shinigami said shoving Grimmjow to the side and making Grimmjow fly ungracefully across the empty street. After tumbling a few times he was able to land on his feet and watch in horror as he knew that he couldn't stop what was going to happen next.

The Ichigo-look-alike swung the sword around by its scarf like how people do to their keys when it is on a lanyard. Don't parents tell their kids not to do that? Someone can get seriously hurt, but it seemed that was the objective in this case as he threw the sword while hanging onto the other end of the scarf.

The shinigami pulled out his own sword that hung on his waist. It was a lot thinner than Ichigo's and it even seemed to be rusty. You'd think Ichigo's clone would snap that sword in two with a single attack, but the way the shinigami was able to deflect the incoming blade proved that the battle wasn't that easily won just because a sword is in better shape.

In the blink of an eye Ichigo's (possessed?) body was behind the other Shinigami at a speed that could compete with a vampire's. Are all shinigami really that powerful or was it all thanks to whatever that thing in Ichigo's body is? Grimmjow didn't sense any malicious intent from it, at least directed towards him and Ichigo. It wasn't because of Grimmjow that they were able to live that long, but this thing's? It was Grimmjow's job to protect Ichigo, wasn't it? Just staring at Ichigo's body fighting an incredibly strong opponent didn't exactly make Grimmjow feel safe. It made him feel competitive. He wasn't ready to have Ichigo fight for his sake even though that wasn't technically Ichigo.

That emotion didn't last long until it was taken over by the feeling of urgency. As not-Ichigo jumped over the incredibly tall shinigami's head his foot was grabbed in a vice grip causing him to gasped, startled that the extremely tall man was able to read his unpredictable movements. He hung upside-down, his shirt falling down to his chest and revealing Ichigo's flat, muscular stomach.

Not-Ichigo growled and tried swinging himself so that he could kick the tall shinigami, but he was able to take in the impact as if he was getting punched by a toddler. He sighed as he let him hang in his grasp.

"Seriously, Ikkaku over exaggerated big time when he talked about you. I thought that you would be a challenge, but you are a thousand years too early to even be able to leave a scratch on me. This is such a pain in the ass. I came all the way out here just to pick up some trash."

A black door appeared out of nowhere behind him and not-Ichigo's black and gold eyes grew wide and he struggled harder and cursed in his weird voice. He swung and resisted like a fish out of water that was just trying to hop back into the ocean. He acted like his life relied on him breaking free and for all Grimmjow understood it very much could.

"Wa-wait, I ain't ready ta go ta the afterlife yet." He called out, desperately trying to break free. His eyes showed fear like a cornered animal which contrasted completely from what he was just acting like before, a psychotic maniac.

Grimmjow's heart melted. Though his strange voice had a strange accent and talked completely improper, the way he stuttered and cried out somehow reminded him of Ichigo even though Ichigo wouldn't usually show that sort of face. He didn't know who that guy was, but the way he fought and used his powers in Ichigo's stead it must have meant that he was somehow part of Ichigo or he was some kind of alternate personality. Whatever it is, it at least had a reason for protecting him too.

"Yeah, clearly you aren't ready to work yet. You're totally untrained, and you can't control that thing inside you, but that is what Shino Academy is for. I don't see why Central 46 is going completely crazy about a hybrid like you. Oh well, I guess that doesn't matter anymore. I'm leaving you alive for now because I decided to take pity on you, but your execution will probably take place on the other side. Aren't you lucky?"

The black door opened and all that could be seen behind it was a blinding white light. The shinigami started to walk towards it and not Ichigo somehow managed to struggle more than he already was. Wait a few more seconds and he probably would have started sobbing.

Grimmjow wasn't thinking. He was suddenly behind the shinigami that dared to take his Ichigo away. He didn't try to lay a hand on him; he was more focused on something else. He stretched his left arm behind him and closed the door and blocked it with his body.

Grimmjow felt an odd tingling sensation in his left hand that he used to close the door. It didn't hurt or anything, but if felt like what happens when you sit on your hand for too long. It falls asleep and it feels as if there are seeds running up and down every movement you make.

"You aren't taking him anywhere. He's going home with me." Grimmjow growled.

The intimidating shinigami looked at him completely unamused. "How are you planning to take him home when he is going to the afterlife? Do you wish to join him, vampire?"

"Not in this lifetime. Ichigo is going to be my partner forever. I'm claiming it now even though he didn't agree to the contract yet. I didn't let Aizen take him away so there is no way that I am going to let you get away with it."

"I don't care." The shinigami said. "I don't know who this Aizen guy is, but I seriously don't care enough. How were you even able to touch Heaven's door? Did this guy use a healing spell on that hand of yours or something?"

The door Grimmjow just closed must have been the said Heaven's door and he didn't exactly know the side effects to touching it, but it seemed that he had Ichigo to thank again for healing his left arm. If he didn't then touching the door might have done something else to him.

Grimmjow didn't answer, but it didn't seem that the shinigami actually cared what he had to say since he just reached past him to try and grab a hold of the door handle. Without thinking Grimmjow grabbed onto his wrist and squeezed.

"What did I just say? I'm not letting you take him."

The shinigami sighed and slung the struggling not-Ichigo over his shoulder and held onto him with one hand ignoring his futile kicks and punches on his back as he tried to wiggle his way free.

"Since I'm already here I don't mind taking you out either. If you get in my way you are going to regret it."

Grimmjow braced himself for another fight, but now he had fewer options where he can attack with Ichigo being his hostage. It looked like he lost his chance to fight though.

"Let him go Kenpachi." Grimmjow whipped his head around to the man standing behind him. He wore a white lab coat and a pink shirt with a white flower pattern. The way he was dressed seemed goofy, but the way he presented himself said that there was no time for games.

"Wow, my job just became that much easier. Thanks for coming out Isshin."

Not-Ichigo pushed himself off of his captor so that he could get a better view. There was a look of shock on his face like he didn't know Ichigo's father's secret either. The black in his eyes started to deplete and the golden rings in his eyes turned back to Ichigo's copper brown. Ichigo was back, but the look of shock remained on his face. He was so focused on the site in front of him he almost forgot the position he was in.

Grimmjow looked between the two shinigami. These two knew each other? He didn't know what their history was, but damn he felt like he was out of place. He was so used to vampire lifestyle and he thought that that was complicated. Shinigami lives were in a completely different realm of understanding that he has never seen before. It reminded him of what it was like when he first turned into a vampire and he had to learn what everything meant even if his first few years of being a vampire mostly consisted of wandering with his father. It looked like things were about to get a bit more complicated.

"You can save me a second trip if you decide to come with me right now." The invading shinigami, Kenpachi said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you take my son away. Ichigo, you might want to brace yourself."

Isshin turned his palm towards him and curled his middle finger in. He looked at Kenpachi as if he were giving one final warning that Kenpachi decided to ignore and flicked his finger creating a large gust of wind that was even larger and more powerful than the one Ichigo can form from his voice.

Kenpachi was thrown back. Ichigo, now back in control of his body was able to take advantage of his unstable footing and by wiggling out of his grasp. Kenpachi tried to grasp at him again, but Ichigo delivered a harsh kick to his stomach while he flailed before falling onto the concrete street with his hands breaking his fall.

Isshin turned to Grimmjow. "Get Ichigo out of here. I'm counting on you to take him as far away from here as possible." He said. He didn't need to say anymore before Grimmjow was at Ichigo's feet, lifting him off the ground and carrying him in a bridal position. For the first time ever, Ichigo didn't complain. Isshin quickly threw his hand out to his right side and something seemed to shatter. "Get going before it closes up. I'll take care of things here."

Grimmjow jumped towards the hole that Ichigo's father created. It didn't seem like he did anything, but Grimmjow could smell fresh air coming from where he threw his hand out. Grimmjow sprinted out before the shattered part of the protective space closed in leaving Kenpachi and Isshin to duke it out.

Grimmjow followed Isshin's orders. As soon as he was outside he quickly put Ichigo down so that they could blend in with the people who were walking up and down the street. "Can you stand?" Grimmjow said while putting Ichigo down lightly. People walked passed them pretending not to care that they saw just a second ago a blue haired man was carrying an orange haired man who was clearly an adult. He really hoped that they didn't seem to just pop out of nowhere.

Ichigo nodded quietly, not saying a word. His mind was a bit more preoccupied with other things. He couldn't believe what was happening. His father was a shinigami too? His goofy father? And he was strong enough to fight that guy that completely whipped him and Shiro? What else has his father been hiding from him? His entire life was a lie, but he seriously didn't have time to think about that.

Grimmjow grabbed hold of his hand and walked quickly as his eyes whipped back and forth to find some sort of place out of sight where he can pick up the pace to vampire speed without being seen. It seemed he didn't have to look for long since Shinji Hirako walked out of the shadows with a grim expression on his face.

"Follow me, quickly." He said. "Feel free to hurry up since no one can see you now."

Grimmjow was already aware of the power Hirako had that allowed him to create illusions where strangers won't be able to see them so he didn't need an explanation. He silently praised him for his weird, but helpful ability and scooped Ichigo up. Ichigo didn't protest again since he knew better than to fight in this situation. Shinji ran at a remarkable speed and Grimmjow quickly followed, causing Ichigo's stomach to lurch. It wasn't like he could complain since they were escaping to safety.

Grimmjow was able to keep up with Shinji's speed, but he didn't expect where Shinji was leading them. In front of them stood a rundown looking, traditional Japanese…what was it, some sort of shop? There was a large sign up from that Grimmjow was able to read as 'Urahara Shoten.'

Urahara, Grimmjow and Ichigo quickly remembered the name and it brought back the memory of a sandy-haired man that was supposedly running the abroad program where they had met. Who exactly was that guy? Grimmjow recognized the name when he overheard Ichigo's dad and Hirako talking about it about a week ago, but he still didn't pick up on what this guy's deal was. What did he have to do with Shinigami and what kind of relationship does he have with vampires and hunters?

"Inside," Shinji said leading them through the front doors. Grimmjow put Ichigo down and they walked inside. They scanned the aisles of merchandise. It looked like an old fashioned candy store, but neither Ichigo nor Grimmjow was able to recognize any of the brands. They were written in weird letters that neither of them has seen before. Was it some sort of shinigami language or was it something else entirely?

They were lead into a back room and Shinji lifted a tatami mat that was supposedly attached to the ground, but hidden underneath it was a metal trap door. Shinji pulled something that looked like a metal rod out of his pocket and stuck it into the hole of the trap door. It immediately swung open with a loud clanging sound. All the young couple could see was a ladder and a hole that looked like it leads to pitch black.

"Don't worry, nothing dangerous is down there. It's meant to be a space that can hide your spiritual presence. Hurry up before they find you guys." Shinji insisted.

Ichigo was the first to follow orders. He grabbed hold of the ladder and climbed down slowly. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face, much less the next step underneath him so he went down slowly, afraid of falling without knowing where the bottom was and apparently the bottom was pretty freaking far down.

As soon as his foot found the bottom his Converse slid across what felt like dirt, but not a small amount of dirt one would find in an abandoned cabin in the woods, but it felt like a dirt path that lead to that cabin. Not only that, but he could feel a breeze like he was outside even though they were clearly underground. He walked further away from the ladder so that Grimmjow and then Shinji could reach the bottom without stepping on his head.

Shinji sighed. "I guess he didn't bother leaving the lights on after he was gone for so long." Shinji clapped his hands together twice and light flooded the room, if you can even call it a room.

It looked like they were outside in some sort of hidden area of a mountain range. There was even a sky. It made absolutely no sense. They climbed down right? With that aside this area was huge! Wait; if they were underground then they had to have dug an enormous amount underground…underneath street and other people's property. Isn't that illegal?

"You'll be safe down here and your dad will be able to find you. All we need to do is wait for him." Shinji said

"Shouldn't we be helping him? That guy was really strong." Ichigo asked. He looked frantic. He was getting over the initial shock of seeing his father fighting as well as revealing that he too is a shinigami. It somewhat started to make sense, the only question being 'how?'

"You'll only get in his way." Shinji said. "Your dad is leagues ahead of you. There is nothing for you to worry about. Your old man is really strong."

Grimmjow growled. "Okay, I've been keeping his dad's secret for too long. I or at least Ichigo deserves some sort of explanation on what is going on."

* * *

Isshin didn't always live in the human world. He used to be just a regular shinigami just like the ones that Ichigo and Grimmjow fought before. The way the afterlife works is brutal. Souls get to live peacefully unless they show signs of shinigami powers. As soon as signs show then they get taken away from their everyday lives, their family they have established, and they are forced to go to a boarding school to learn how to use their powers and become full-fledged shinigami.

The process can be compared to being drafted, except Central 46 doesn't leave anyone with promise behind. It is because shinigami abilities are rare and they believe if one has those abilities then they must be put to work. Some souls hide when they find out that they have promise of becoming a shinigami in fear that they will be forced to leave their homes. They hide, but they are always found and the punishment for hiding is brutal.

Isshin and Kaien were born into the afterlife, never experiencing what life was like in the world of the living. They had parents and a family that was all blood related. They were known as the Shiba family. Both of the brothers started to show signs of immense power and Central 46 quickly jumped at them. They were both young, but they were forced to go to the academy.

At Shino academy they were able to meet two people that soon became their best friends and roommates. Shinji was Kaien's roommate while they were there and they were fast friends. On the other hand Isshin was roomed with a complete nutjob named Kisuke Urahara. Isshin was at his throat every now and then, but despite their complicated relationship they became best friends.

They were able to graduate and they were even excited to work as shinigami since it would allow them to see the world of the living which is something that they would not have been able to do otherwise. They lived in peace for generations, working as shinigami and carrying souls to the other side and eliminating anything that may have been a threat to the world of the living or the afterlife.

They were even promoted to higher seats. Isshin, Shinji, and Kisuke were in charge of their own factions and Kaien worked as Shinji's right hand, his job mostly being to make sure he didn't slack off. They were happy despite being forced into their jobs, but that was until they received an order that was too tall for them to carry out. Eliminate the hunters.

Overpopulation of the world of the living has been a fear of Central 46 and vampires were viewed as humans' natural predator. Hunters have always existed in an effort to get rid of those natural predators and they were over looked. That was until there was a movement that was started by Soken Ishida that said that hunters and vampires should reach an understanding.

One would think that a movement like that would decrease the amounts of vampire deaths, but it was quite the contrary. Hunter guilds that strongly disagreed with his viewpoints retaliated and killed more vampires as compensation for the hunters that took what Soken Ishida said to heart. They tracked down more vampires and even tried to form false alliances with them before breaking their trust and slaughtering them. Soken wasn't discouraged though, he just kept on pleading that peace was needed between the hunters and vampires. It wasn't working out for him though. Even his own son didn't support his beliefs.

Slaughtering all the hunters wasn't a small job so Isshin's, Shinji's, and Kisuke's fractions were appointed to be in charge of going down to the world of the living and killing every last hunter. The faction leaders fought saying that slaughtering such a large group of people is unjust and that it wasn't their job to meddle in the conflicts of the world of the living. It had absolutely nothing to do with them; they were a third party that didn't need to worry about the conflicts between the hunters and vampires. It supplied them more work, but that wasn't really a problem.

Central 46 refused to listen to their reasoning and the three fraction leaders decided to rebel. They no longer wanted to be ruled by Central 46 anymore if they made them perform actions that they did not believe in. That was the day Isshin, Shinji, Kisuke, and Kaien decided to escape the institution.

Kisuke was valued as an inventor and the greatest scientist that was ever in the institution. They never thought that they would need to use his inventions to escape though. Long ago he created some sort of portal that would send them to the world of the living without leaving behind any evidence of them disappearing from the afterlife. It'll look as though they have vanished. He created it in secret just in case something were to happen where they needed to leave in secret.

The only other shinigami that knew about it was Urahara's best friend and love interest, Yoruichi Shihoin. She saw them off as they went through the portal and destroyed it once their presence vanished. They haven't seen her since, but she kept their escape a secret.

Urahara sent fake signals around the world that disguised as spiritual energy to throw them off their tracks and it worked wonderfully, making the institution unable to pin point their locations. They decided that it was best for them to go their separate ways since if they all stuck together they may be recognized by any passing shinigami.

They were all able to have their separate lives. Isshin was able to go to medical school and was able to graduate first in his class with the help of the experience he gained as a shinigami and opened his own clinic. He got married and started a family before he lost his wife.

Shinji never really liked the idea of splitting up. He became a web designer and he moved around a lot. He visited the other shinigami escapees whenever he felt like it. He was more of a free spirit and even though he knew that it wasn't wise to check in with the others he never was really good at playing by the rules.

No one was really sure what Urahara did for a living. They thought that he started to meddle with vampire and hunter business as sort of revenge to Central 46. He helped them thrive and decided to learn what was causing so much tension between them. It seemed that Soken Ishida was not the only person that helped hunters obtain a nonviolent lifestyle. It seemed that Kisuke also contributed in assisting hunter groups cooperate with vampires.

Urahara wasn't the only mystery. It wasn't a mystery what Kaien did, but where he went. He like his brother started a family. He married a woman named Miyako and they lived happily. She was somewhat sickly and died while giving birth to his child. He had to leave soon after in fear that a shinigami will come to bring her spirit to the other side and they would notify Central 46 that they have seen him. He was a single father for a while and he loved his daughter more than anything in the entire world, but then he disappeared. There was no trace of him anywhere no matter how long and how much Shinji looked for him.

The three remaining shinigami were able to live in peace until now. They had no idea what spurred the institution to start looking for the escaped shinigami now especially since they had many chances to go looking for them, but they weren't exactly approaching them with open arms. They came with the desire to take them back.

* * *

 **A/N: It's been a long busy week where I haven't had time to do anything I love. Do me a favor and lift my sinking spirits by leaving a review. I love every review I get and each one does a great deal to make my determination stronger. I know I've been slower than usual in responding this week, but I still love to hear your written voices even if it is just a simple "I liked this chapter."**


	22. Chapter 22

Honestly too lazy to write something up here. It doesn't matter. Only a few of you guys read this anyway. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 22

Ichigo had so many questions. He, Shinji, and Grimmjow were seated on rocks in the hidden underground area underneath a traditional Japanese shop that he didn't even know existed. He didn't talk throughout the entire story that Shinji told him and even after hearing the entire story he didn't know what to say first.

He never really thought about what the afterlife was like, but he didn't expect it to be like that. He has asked his father before what his grandparents were like since he never met them, but he always shrugged off the question saying that they were probably happy in a better place. He didn't know that he was taken away from them and forced to work.

He didn't even know he had an uncle, or from what he heard, a long lost uncle. It only raised more questions that he didn't even know where to start with. He wished that he could meet him, but from the sound of the story it seemed like he is unable to do that if no one can find him. Shinji seemed to not even know if he was dead or alive.

As for his father, he didn't know he had a story like that. He never really talked about the past and always stuck to the present. It was probably because he wanted to keep his life as a shinigami secret from Ichigo. Why he kept it a secret is lost to him though. If he knew that Ichigo was going to become a shinigami or if he was always a shinigami then he would have liked a heads up on all that so that he would know how to use his powers better. His powers would have been incredibly handy when he was in America. Vampires came after him more than once and knowing how to fight with his powers would have been great. He didn't think about that at the moment though, all he could think about was whether his dad was safe.

Then there was the question about his sisters. Ichigo was twenty and his powers just awoken, but does that logic also apply to his sisters? They must have powers too or something since they share the same father. He never expected that the supernatural existence would carry such a big impact on his life to a point where he felt that his entire life was a lie. He felt foolish for thinking that he could escape his new reality before he discovered his own powers lying dormant inside of him. Was he some sort of idiot? This was his life now.

Grimmjow noticed his stiff expression and slunk and arm around him and pulled him into his chest. Ichigo relaxed into him and sighed as Grimmjow played with his hair. Grimmjow didn't really know what to tell him, this was new to him too. He didn't want to say that everything will be okay since he seriously didn't know for certain either. He never lost a fight and this time he was made a complete fool out of. He didn't know what was going to happen next.

The story that Shinji told them sounded like something out of a book or some kind of anime backstory, but for the guy that was nestled into his chest it really resonated and probably answered some questions, but only raised more.

They didn't sit like that for a long time before the two cuddling guys nearly fell off the rock when they heard a startling "boo" right behind them.

"What the fuck?" Ichigo called out as he whipped his head around, but his words died when he saw his father. His lab coat was in shreds and there were gashes all over him that looked incredibly painful. What was left of his lab coat was dyed red and his body was drenched in sweat.

"Dad," Ichigo said hoarsely. He stood up and immediately started to inspect his wounds. He never thought he would see his father in a state like that, but he was even happier to see him alive. He didn't know what happened, but he had no idea that his father could win against such a strong opponent.

"Hey, how's it going?" Isshin asked with a big goofy smile on his face. It didn't fit a man who was as torn up as he was and it sort of pissed Ichigo off.

"Can you not act like that? I'm seriously not in the mood for you to act like everything is okay. Just sit down and let me heal you." Ichigo said. His voice was depressed and desperate as if the life was drained out of him, but he was still clinging on to what remained of it. He was discouraged and didn't know what to make of himself or the situation, but he had no choice but to move forward and contribute where he could.

His father followed his orders and Ichigo held onto him as his eyes turned black and gold as golden hairs started to stitch together his father's open wounds. Grimmjow couldn't help, but realize that Ichigo's eyes looked just like how they were before when he was fighting that other shinigami. His eyes weren't his, but Grimmjow could sense that Ichigo was still there. Who exactly was that guy that took over Ichigo's body? Was he on their side or was he a different opponent all together?

"You know, I was happy to hear that you wanted to become a doctor just like me. Since you were little I was always the one that cleaned your cut and take care of you when you were sick. I never thought I would see the day where my son would have to take care of me." Isshin said in a calm tone. His goofy tone was gone, but it was replaced with a voice that sounded more adult. It was a voice that Ichigo didn't really hear that often, but it always meant that he was saying something significant when he heard it. "I didn't know that you would have healing abilities. It suits you." He sounded like a proud father and he never really expressed that side of him even though Ichigo knew that his dad bragged about him.

Ichigo stayed quiet. He was trying to focus on his father's shoulder that had a particularly large gash in it, but he seemed distracted. "Your powers were thrusted at you so suddenly. I wish you could have been able to cultivate them in a better situation, but you've come so far despite all the problems you have faced for the past month. I'm really proud of you and I couldn't be more impressed."

Ichigo's eyes didn't look like they usually did, but they had a solemn expression hidden behind his eyes that were shining like onyx as if he had tears in his eyes, but he didn't want to let them fall. He broke off the healing, physically and mentally exhausted. The darkness in his eyes started to swim away and leaving them in their normal state.

Grimmjow has never seen an expression like that before worn by Ichigo. His father was sitting there looking at him with complete pride as he looked at his son that he has brought up practically by himself as an adult. He was strong, but Grimmjow could tell that Ichigo didn't feel the same way his dad did. He felt weak and like a burden that always needed to be protected by his dad or Grimmjow. He wanted to learn to fight for himself and he's made a lot of progress, but it seemed like it wasn't enough.

"Okay cute father-son moment aside, did you learn anything from Kenpachi?" Shinji said, reminding everyone that he was still present and the situation that was going on just a moment ago. They all had stuff on his mind, but it was a complete mystery what he was thinking.

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about. You two are going to want to hear this too."

xxx

Isshin held his shoulder where blood was seeping through his white coat. He had it clenched firmly in his other hand, but it stayed held up in front of him. He wasn't willing to give up. This wasn't just for him anymore. This was for his friends and family. Most importantly he needed to win so he can protect his son.

He named his son Ichigo, to protect, because he wanted his son to protect his friends and family just like he was. He wasn't ready to protect himself though. There was no way he can last against his opponent, Kenpachi Zaraki if he couldn't even win against him.

"This is pitiful." Kenpachi groaned. "I haven't seen you in ages and I find you weaker then you were, what 200 years ago?"

Isshin gritted his teeth. "I haven't exactly been living the life of a shinigami for those 200 years."

Kenpachi tutted. "You see what happens when you go on vacation? You become weak. Your little stunt caused a big problem for the afterlife, you know? We wouldn't be scouring for shinigami if you just did what you were told and took out the hunters."

Isshin growled. "This again, how can a bunch of hunters cause a problem for the shinigami? It's the institution's fault for sticking their nose where it doesn't belong."

Kenpachi sheathed his sword. "This is boring. You aren't even worth capturing and even less worthy of killing."

"You know I'm right Zaraki, the hunters did nothing wrong. If shinigami are getting killed then it's their fault for getting involved." Isshin said to Zaraki's back who was walking away, hand raised so he can open up heaven's door.

He turned his head around to look at the bloody traitor. "That isn't the problem. Shinigami aren't being killed, we are understaffed. There has been an increase of deaths in vampires. As you know, they are harder to carry to the afterlife since we need to purify the soul before carrying it. More work means that we need more employees."

Isshin shook his head. "I know quite a bit about the movements of the hunter clans. I have connections, but there haven't been as many vampire deaths that came from hunters since Soken Ishida's movement. Things have died down quite a bit since then so I haven't heard of any shinigami threats that consisted of killing hunters. Something else must be killing them. Don't you see? This has nothing to do with the hunters. If you are going to insist on killing them then blaming me for the increase of vampire deaths isn't going to get you anywhere. If the institution insists on getting involved then they are looking in the wrong place."

Kenpachi opened the door that appeared in front of him. "I don't give a shit as long as the work dies down. If you know what's going on then take care of it he barked before disappearing."

The nerve of that guy, he always bossed him around 200 years ago even though Isshin was never even under him. They had equal rankings, but that guy always fancied himself the strongest even if it was a load of bull. He wasn't really in the right place to be saying anything with his bloody shoulder though.

The protective space shattered as soon as the opposing shinigami's presence left. Isshin sword disappeared. Shit, where was Shinji when he needed him. It would have been great if people weren't staring at him. He was bloody, but he wasn't bloody enough for a random stranger to desire being a hero and calling an ambulance for him. He needed to get out and find his son and his boyfriend. If he was right about Shinji finding them then they could only be in one place. He just hoped his hunch was right.

xxx

Shinji sat forward listening to Isshin's story on what just happened. If Kenpachi was telling the truth, which he probably was because he wasn't exactly smart enough to tell lies properly, then that had to mean that the reason why they were being tracked down was because of the vampire deaths.

"So was he saying that there have been a lot more vampire deaths?" Shinji asked. "That makes sense that they would be looking for more help and since shinigami powers are rare to start with then them being able to find four shinigami or in this case five then that would be a big help to them."

"Don't go saying unnecessary things." Isshin quickly said after Shinji's statement before he cocked his head to indicate that Ichigo was here. Seriously, was he still planning on keeping secrets from him despite the situation he was in? That seriously pissed Ichigo off to no end. No way was he going to let him do that. He'll have to figure it out himself this time and he wasn't going to let his dad get away with it.

Ichigo cocked his head to the side and started to dissect the sentence that Shinji just said before his father cut in. He started counting. Him, his dad, Shinji, Urahara, who was number five? If his uncle Kaien was missing then he shouldn't be included so it must mean someone else. That was when he remembered, his uncle had a daughter. He had a cousin that he never knew about. That meant she was alive.

"Wait, are you suggesting that Kaien's daughter inherited shinigami powers too?" Ichigo asked, trying his best to keep up with the conversation. He didn't want to be left out anymore even though he felt like a child who had to listen to a bunch of adults talk about business or politics. He was doing a whole lot better than Grimmjow who practically gave up on trying to understand what was going on. He silently vowed to just go with the flow and punch whoever needed to be punched if it came to that. He felt like a boyfriend at a family reunion or something. He didn't know who these people were, their history, or what was going on. Actually, that was basically what was happening now. He was the odd one out. The only vampire and had absolutely no input to put in.

"Uhhh, I forgot that I told you about that." Shinji said turning his head back and forth between a confused Ichigo and a glaring Isshin. "Y-yeah, I mean I'm not really sure. Maybe, I didn't see her do anything at your level." He said that last part to Isshin, hoping to somewhat redeem himself, but it seemed that he was still failing because Isshin's expression only turned darker.

"Wait, you know her?" Ichigo asked. "Dad, why haven't I met her?"

Isshin shook his head. "Her story is a bit complicated and we can talk about her later." Isshin dismissed, but Ichigo didn't let up.

"No, do you know where she is? We don't have a lot of family so if there is more that I don't know about then I want to meet them." Ichigo persisted. "Where is she right now?"

Isshin sighed; he knew he wasn't going to escape the question. He looked over at Shinji who was trying his best to look innocent, but it was hard to not awkwardly laugh when Isshin's death glares were directed at him.

He was usually goofy, but when he was angry and angry for a valid reason he gets incredibly scary. He did not want to be at the other end of his wrath, especially since he just came out of a battle that he nearly died in. He was probably storing a bunch of pent up frustration that he didn't want to release in front of his son or his boyfriend.

"Ichigo, I need you to understand that I didn't tell you for this stuff for your own safety. I was afraid that if you two meet then your spiritual presence would show up on their readings. It seemed that my concern isn't necessary anyway." Isshin said. "The last time I saw her she hasn't discovered her shinigami powers yet."

"Good, now why don't you tell me where she is or something then?" Ichigo asked getting more and more impatient. "We probably need all the help we can get."

There was silence for a second before his father answered. "America."

"WHAT THE FUCK, DAD? I was just in America. It's a big country, but can you narrow it down a bit and tell me where?"

His father was silent again before he exhaled. "You wouldn't like it if I tell you."

Grimmjow and Ichigo's eyes grew into saucers and Grimmjow didn't need the tracking spell to feel Ichigo's anger rising. Ichigo was about ready to flip some tables or something. "Dad, I was she close to where I was? She was close by wasn't she? If I knew then I would have went and met her!"

"Listen, you don't understand her situation. She's lived a pretty complicated life to this point. All you need to know is that she was adopted into a family that is able to protect her and you don't need to worry about her…Besides, she wasn't even in America when you were there. She was raised and still lives in Japan."

Ichigo was about ready to punch his father in the face, but Grimmjow immediately picked up on Ichigo's violent vibe and wrapped his arms around him to trap him in place. He literally just healed the man, but he looked like he was ready to tear him apart again. It seemed like he was full of energy too, so much for getting tired after using his healing powers.

The only thing that was able to keep him from attacking his idiot of a father was Grimmjow's monstrous strength. He was thrashing quite a bit to try and get out of his hold until he heard another familiar voice, one that he wasn't expecting to hear in a long time.

"Come on Isshin. Are you still keeping secrets from him?" Ichigo immediately went still in Grimmjow's arms. Grimmjow hesitated to let go, but he too was shocked to see who was speaking behind him.

Urahara's wooded clogs made a unique sound when he carried himself across the dirt floor of the huge underground area.

"Urahara, what are you doing here?" Shinji asked, getting off the rock so he could greet his old friend.

"Well for starters I live here." Urahara said pretty straight forward. "If you are asking what I'm doing back from America then I should remind you that it is finals week on campus and mostly everyone's gone by now."

He turned to Ichigo and Grimmjow. "Ichigo, you should expect to see your friends soon especially your friend Renji who was just accepted into the Kuchiki clan. I have overseen his vampirism and everything."

Ichigo sighed in relief. He didn't know that there was a weight on his shoulders that came from worrying if his best friend would be okay, but it seemed he was fine. He didn't die from the bite and he didn't turn into a ghoul even though he knew there was no way he was going to turn into one since it would take an hour and the blood of something that isn't a vampire to turn him into one.

"As for Kaien's daughter, she's going to be coming back soon too." Urahara added knowingly. "I gave Renji the address to this place since he insisted on trying to be of some help."

Ichigo immediately felt nervous. He knew how to act in front of Renji, but he never had to meet a long lost relative before. All he knew about her was that her dad went missing and that she may have inherited her father's shinigami powers. He didn't even know if he was going to be allowed to see her though even if he really wanted to meet her.

Grimmjow noticed his change in attitude and reluctantly let him go. Ichigo didn't usually let him hold him and since there was a lot on his mind and he was pretty depressed lately he wanted to be held even less. Then there was calculating that he didn't want to act like a couple in front of his family. It was nice to hold him just so he could remember that Ichigo was his after all the effort he went through back in America with Aizen.

"Now let's get back to serious business." Urahara said changing gears. "I overheard you guys talking about the large number of vampire deaths in recent years."

Shinji groaned sitting back down and leaning back on the rock he was sitting on to the point where it looked like he was going to fall off. "Why do you need to always try to have a dramatic entrance? If you were here for that long then why didn't you say something?"

Grimmjow didn't say anything. He didn't know what to add to the conversation, but he was curious about what Urahara had to say. He heard an entire story about the four's escape from the institution, but he still knew very little about Urahara. The only thing he learned since he got here was that he apparently lived here. Grimmjow didn't know what kind of taste Urahara had to have to live in a shop with a giant secret underground area, but his choice of clothing made that fact not too surprising. Urahara was a weird dude.

Grimmjow wondered why he decided to mettle in the affairs of vampires and hunters if he himself is a third party? Shinji said that it was some sort of revenge, but that couldn't be the only reason. The politics of vampire clans was already complicated and if he sprinkled on learning the politics and movements of hunters then he can only imagine just how much hard work he puts in to balance all three of the parties that he was involved with. That wasn't even including the fact that he was a shinigami runaway and was apparently the one who lead the escape.

"Don't question the things I do, Shinji. You wouldn't be able to keep up with me even if you tried to learn every little thing I know." Urahara said, waving his finger at him and opening up the fan that he carried around to cover his face. "Well, I just try to be dramatic to make things more interesting. It's a habit."

"Can you get back to what you were saying?" Ichigo asked hesitantly. At the pace they were moving they weren't going to get anywhere.

"Huh, oh right." Urahara stuttered for a second. That really took the serious air out of the situation. "Isshin, did Zaraki specify what kind of vampire deaths we are seeing?"

Isshin shook his head. "He only mentioned that there were a lot of them."

Urahara nodded. "I thought as much. Truth be told, I've seen an increase in vampire deaths myself, but the deaths are incredibly specific. Grimmjow you're not going to like hearing this, but you are going to have to bear with me for a second."

He waited for Grimmjow's confirmation. He has been uncharacteristically quiet the entire time he was sitting there. Even when they brought up vampires, something he should understand the most out of the other shinigami and Ichigo, he still decided to remain silent. Grimmjow nodded and waited for Urahara to proceed.

"Ichigo, I'm not sure you fully understand how vampires work since this one apparently has a bad habit of not telling you anything so I'm going to just explain what everything means after I say it." Urahara said directed at Ichigo.

Ichigo immediately felt stupid despite him not knowing anything wasn't necessarily his fault. It was mostly Grimmjow's and he was too wrapped up in his own shinigami business to care about how vampire stuff works. It was kind of selfish of him now that he thought about it, but it seemed that Grimmjow didn't really mind or that he at least understood.

"Alright, there has been an increase in vampire death. We already established that, but the vampires' deaths that have increased all have a specific trait. They aren't purebreds. They were vampires that were turned from humans, just like you Grimmjow."

Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow. He knew that Grimmjow used to be human, but he wasn't aware that vampires were regarded as purebreds and non-purebreds. Was there some sort of social standing for purebreds and non-purebreds? Was this really _Harry Potter_ or something?

If someone was killing off the non-purebreds it sounds a like someone or a group was discriminating non-purebreds. He didn't know there was that sort of discrimination in the vampire world, but it seems like people would look for any stupid reason to categorize and hate others.

"Did purebreds regard themselves as superior to non-purebreds?" Ichigo decided to go with the safe question.

"Sorta, but things have gotten a lot better since most clans recruit humans that they turn and non-purebreds to increase their clan size. The discrimination against turned vampires was practically forgotten. If someone is trying to recreate any issues then that may cause a problem." Grimmjow answered.

"Precisely what I feel is going on right now." Urahara said, praising Grimmjow for answering Ichigo's question and leading him to the next point. "Now you see Grimmjow. This is the part where you get upset. All of the vampire deaths have some sort of connection to the Aizen clan."

* * *

 **A/N: Still too lazy to say anything. Oh well I'm just gonna shamelessly ask for reviews anyway.**


	23. Chapter 23

I was dreading this chapter, but I don't want to have anymore hiatuses because of my insecurity. Sorry it took so long to get to this point. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 23

Grimmjow was going to kill him. He seriously was going to kill him. Once again Aizen found a way to mess with his and Ichigo's lives. Sure he didn't do this intentionally. There was no way he could know what was going on in the afterlife. He can imagine that whatever is known about Central 46 is kept incredibly confidential. So there was no way he was making genocide of non-purebred with the intention of fucking with them. He went about two hundred years of his life without knowing anything about shinigami so he can imagine that Aizen was in a similar predicament, but there was still no way he was going to forgive that bastard.

If what Urahara was saying was true, that Aizen truly had the intention of killing off any vampires that weren't purebred then that would make things a bit more confusing. His entire clan was made up of mostly non-purebreds and that included himself. Why did Aizen want him in his clan then to the point where he tried to use Ichigo as a bargaining chip? It didn't make any sense.

"Grimmjow, I need you to stay calm and allow me to explain what we are going to do from here on. The smartest option may be for you to take Ichigo to Germany to stay with your clan."

Grimmjow cocked his head to the side. He wasn't disagreeing; he would have loved to take Ichigo back to Germany to stay with him. He would want Ichigo to meet the family that he desired Ichigo to become part of, but he wasn't sure that taking him there would be the best course of action.

"Ummm, didn't you say that Aizen's goal was to kill all non-purebred vampires? Wouldn't it be smarter to keep Ichigo away then? Almost everyone in my clan seems to be on Aizen's kill list."

Urahara shook his head. "Don't you trust your clan? I know Stark pretty well and I know that Aizen is well aware of the power that he holds. Not only that, but Central 46 is searching for the shinigami that escaped and now that they know about Ichigo's existence and whereabouts. They will surely be back for him. It will be best if we split up and figure out what to do next."

Grimmjow nodded his head in understanding and then he took Ichigo's hand in his own. In any other circumstances he would be excited to introduce Ichigo to his father. He wished that he could meet him under different conditions, but this is the deck that was dealt to him so he needed to make the most out of it. The last thing he wanted was for Ichigo to get into more trouble, but with the shinigami on the hunt because of Aizen's actions it was hard for them to catch a break. At least he can get his clan to help him if anything happened. He just hoped that they wouldn't look at Ichigo like he was dinner. He trusted them, but he clearly trusted some more than others. He needed to think of a way to control a certain lanky individual.

Isshin cleared his throat and stood from the boulder that he was sitting on and walked over to Urahara. "I have to agree with Grimmjow. I know you trust the Jaegerjaquez clan's strength, but there is a variable that you are forgetting; Ichigo doesn't know how to use his powers fully yet. He may lose control and his inner soul may try and take control again. He didn't unlock all of his power yet and he can't even disguise his scent yet. You really want to throw my son in a house with a bunch of vampires? This plan of yours may be even more risky then leaving him here."

Grimmjow growled, but immediately censored his thoughts before he ran the risk of going off and angering Ichigo's father. He needed to stay on his good side and he had the right to be worried about his son. Just because his dad was laidback with him didn't mean that Ichigo's father would be fine with doing something this risky even if he did decide previously that Ichigo could handle himself well enough in a college filled with vampires looking to recruit. That program was being managed by his supposed best friend and he trusted that he would be fine in the end and it resulted in Ichigo unlocking his shinigami powers. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to him. My family wouldn't intentionally hurt him if they knew that he was with me."

Isshin didn't look very convinced and the sound of Shinji sighing pulled his attention towards him. He leaned further back on the rock that Isshin was originally sitting on and tried to ease his friend's mind. "Will it be more reassuring if I went too?"

Urahara nodded. "Thank you, Shinji."

Ichigo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Grimmjow could nearly feel the frustration resonating off of him and even when he grabbed a hold of Ichigo's hand he would not unfold his fists. "Don't I have a say in this? If these shinigami assholes are trying to take me and you guys back then I want to stand and fight. I don't want to be the one protected anymore. Let me do something, anything."

Urahara sighed and took Ichigo by the shoulder and lead him away from the group. Grimmjow wanted to follow, but Isshin stopped him. He had a glum look on his face. He had an expression that showed that he didn't like what was about to happen next, but whatever was about to happen needed to be done. Ichigo could fight later, but for now they needed him to learn the harsh truth. It was spirit crushing and there was no way that Grimmjow could just stand back and let whatever happens next to happen. He didn't like seeing Ichigo's spirit get crushed because it was that spirit that made him fall in love with him in the first place. He was willing to do anything to preserve that spirit and protect him. There had to be a way to do both.

xxx

"Ichigo," Urahara started. "Words don't describe how impressed I am. You came so far within such a small amount of time even when it took us shinigami years to get to where you are, but right now you can only get in the way. Your father isn't that good at expressing his feelings, but he is seriously worried for you and doesn't want you to get hurt and for now we don't have the time to train you."

Ichigo knew that what Urahara was saying was right, but part of him still wanted to reject him and prove that he was capable on his own. He's come so far and he was finally able to fight after being the one protected time and time again. He wasn't just going to sit down and accept letting things blow over.

"I was able to fight off vampires in Aizen's clan and those shinigami that attacked me the first time. I think I am strong enough to fend for myself." Ichigo scowled.

Before Ichigo knew it he was being suspended in the air, extremely high in the air. Damn, how big was this place? Everyone beneath him looked significantly smaller and it occurred to him how much danger he would be in if he fell. He had no idea how he got there, but he knew he didn't get there by himself. He looked down at the man wearing the striped hat who looked the size of a bug. He had to be the one doing this, but how? He's never seen any ability like this performed in real life. Was this supposed to be some kind of telekinesis? Whatever was holding him there he couldn't get down and he was afraid of struggling with the threat of him falling to his death.

Ichigo could only watch as Grimmjow's immediate instincts to protect kicked in. He was about to lunge at Urahara at top speed and demand that he let Ichigo down, but Shinji grabbed his wrist. Grimmjow pulled hard and Shinji lost his balance and his grip on the angered vampire who was letting his temper control him. Isshin caught him by his shoulder before he toppled over, but Grimmjow was now sprinting towards Urahara in a beeline with fire in his eyes at the speed of a starved cheetah chasing a gazelle.

Urahara didn't flinch. All he did was lift an arm and Grimmjow was now stuck where he was standing mid sprint. Ichigo's soul was crushed to see that Urahara had plenty of energy to spare to pull off such a feat. He could hold the both of them back and from what he could see from high above, he didn't show any sign of struggling.

"Ichigo, being a shinigami is all about adjusting to the situation you are in, but here you are trapped and you have no idea how to get out. I can hold you here for hours and wait for you to figure out how to escape, but you still wouldn't get anywhere. Zaraki is well known for being arrogant, but his arrogance is backed up by his strength. His subordinates finding you may have been a fluke or he sent them because he was too lazy to get you himself. Their power is nothing compared to him. Don't think you can take down the final boss because you've beaten a few grunts. Shinigami work in twos, but he approached you alone. Now that he has seen what is here more shinigami are going to come. He let you and your father go out of pity. The others won't give you that luxury and from what just happened you should know that even your inner shinigami can't protect you."

Ichigo struggled yet again even though he knew it was futile. He knew that Urahara was right, but he didn't want to admit it without putting up a fight. He was getting stronger from his training, wasn't he? His inner soul wasn't able to protect him yet he was the one who was training him this entire time. Maybe his current strength was all he was capable of and he was just going to be dead weight. It looked like it was everyone's job to protect him while he just had to sit back and follow the directions.

"You aren't leading this time. You're following my rules."

Ichigo wasn't going to go down easily and he felt a rush of determination when he saw Grimmjow struggled through whatever telekinesis ability that the creepy guy in green was using on him and he was eventually able to push through whatever was holding him. It was possible to keep moving even when he was being held there, but that determination was gone as soon as it came when he saw what the ability was doing to him. It looked like he was trying to run at the bottom of the ocean. His body looked like it was about to fold over and fall to the ground, but he kept struggling to keep his body up and move forward. Even from where Ichigo floated in the air it looked like Grimmjow's body was turning blue. He could have been imagining things or he was too far away, but his fear was real. He didn't want Grimmjow to be hurting himself for something like this. He was ready to comply as long as Urahara stopped what he was doing with Grimmjow. He got the message.

He was barely able to move and what he was doing wasn't worth it and Urahara realized that. He quickly put Ichigo down to focus more on Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow, please stop, you're going to hurt yourself. I put him down so there is no need to be so angry."

Urahara released his hold and Grimmjow nearly fell over, but caught himself, not bothering to be embarrassed or to think too much about it and made his way over to Ichigo's side. He grabbed a hold of his hand and wrapped his other arm protectively around his waist as if him physically touching him would prevent anything else from happening. Grimmjow's color was returning, but Ichigo could still feel that his skin was ice cold. He squeezed him tighter hoping to donate his own warmth to the one that was using his body to protect Ichigo even if he was out of harm's way.

"Geez, you vampires are always so impulsive and temperamental. You aren't like your father at all." Urahara complained.

Grimmjow only turned his way and locked eyes with Ichigo showing that he didn't want to hear Urahara's judgments.

"So, are we all leaving _that_ way?" Shinji asked, nearly shouting from a far, trying to get back on topic without having to get off his lazy ass.

"It's the best way. I don't really feel like trying to arrange any last second plane tickets to Germany. This way is faster and cheaper." Urahara responded ignoring the confused looks from Ichigo and Grimmjow.

Shinji looked over at Ichigo and noticed his dejected face. Ichigo could practically read what Shinji was thinking. Heck he felt like he could hear what everyone was thinking. They all pitied him and Shinji trying to speak with an upbeat attitude wasn't helping even though he knew that he was speaking that way in hopes that Ichigo will cheer up. "When do you want us to leave?"

"As soon as possible,"

"Cool, Ichigo, Grimmjow, you're going to have to pack your shit again."

"Are you kidding me? We are going now? We just got to Japan like seven chapters ago." Grimmjow complained.

Kisuke groaned. "Fine, you guys can leave tomorrow. Go pack or something. Isshin you stay here for a little bit, I need to talk to you and Shinji go make sure they get home safe."

xxx

Ichigo and Grimmjow were back in Ichigo's room. His sisters were nowhere to be found, so much for needing groceries. It seemed like Ichigo's father told them to go to a friend's house for dinner just in case the fight drifted too close to them for his comfort, now they were staying over for the night.

The two males silently folded clothes as they packed for their surprise trip to Germany. There wasn't too much to put back in their suitcases because both of them were slow to unpack when they landed. Ichigo was excited for Grimmjow to meet his friends and when Ichigo wasn't hanging out with Grimmjow he was training. Sometimes he would incorporate hanging out with Grimmjow and training. They were both basically living out of their suitcases up to this point. Ichigo was clearly upset about what was happening, but he wouldn't voice his displeasure and Grimmjow didn't mind letting his concern show on his face, but Ichigo seemed to be too wrapped up in his own thoughts to make a comment. It was obvious that he wanted to fight, and Grimmjow related with him, but he didn't want Ichigo to get hurt. At the same time he wasn't fond of seeing Ichigo's spirit knocked down like a nerdy kid in the school yard.

Grimmjow planned on finding a way to fight no matter what. They may have both been going into hiding, but if Aizen was truly the reason why the shinigami are coming after Ichigo then he needed to get rid of the Aizen threat and then worry about the shinigami later. It may mean that he has to sneak away and fight by himself, but he just wanted to skip all of this bothersome problems that Aizen was causing and skip right to the good stuff where he could spend his life with Ichigo without any outside interference. He had no idea how to get rid of him, but hiding in Germany was clearly not going to work. He needed to sort out the details, but first he needed to make sure Ichigo was safe and hopefully feeling a bit better. He missed Ichigo's fire even if it only just went out.

Getting rid of Aizen would benefit them, his family, and the entire vampire community as a bonus too. He couldn't voice his desire to fight to his significant other because he knows that he would try to stop him just like he would if their roles were reversed or even worse, he may want to find a way to fight too. Ichigo already asked for Grimmjow to turn him just so he could find Harribel. Ichigo's desire to fight was at a point of being self-destructive and it was the only reason why Grimmjow hasn't brought up changing him since then. Ichigo even tried to become a hunter. He didn't like admitting his gratitude to others, but he was grateful that the hunter kid turned him down for the same reason he did.

Ichigo's hands slumped down as he was folding. His knuckles were white enough to look like his bones would pierce his skin if he squeezed any tighter as his fingers dug into the t-shirt he was gripping. He bit the bottom of his lip and his eyes were squinted as if he was trying to hold back tears. Grimmjow was distraught, he never saw Ichigo like that before. Ichigo never seemed like the type to cry, he was the type to get angry and when he was upset about something he would usually brush it off. He talked with his dad before and he told him that Ichigo even had the tendency to act like everything was okay when they weren't and overcompensate by smiling and actually acting happy rather than his usual stubborn self. If Ichigo was acting like this that meant that he was comfortable enough to show Grimmjow his true emotions. He didn't really think about celebrating that since he was too focused on thinking of ways to make Ichigo feel better.

Grimmjow put his stuff down and crawled over to where Ichigo was sitting and wrapped his arms around him. Ichigo accepted his embrace and buried himself in Grimmjow's neck when he felt Grimmjow's warmth wrap around him. "How did things get so out of control?" Ichigo asked. It sounded like the question was mostly for himself, but Grimmjow decided to answer anyway.

"Things always get out of control when Aizen is involved." Grimmjow hummed rubbing a hand through Ichigo's soft vibrant hair. He didn't like seeing Ichigo upset, but it was rare for Ichigo to let him hold him like that and though he was upset to see Ichigo act that way part of him was satisfied just from being allowed to hold him.

"I'm so useless." Ichigo mumbled to himself.

Grimmjow pulled away and studied his face. Ichigo wouldn't meet his eyes and it was obvious that he was trying to hide his tear filled eyes from Grimmjow. The vampire involuntarily growled. He didn't like seeing Ichigo beat himself up even though he didn't deserve any of this. He didn't choose any of this. Even though he didn't like to admit it he knew that Ichigo would pick living as a normal human over living this screwed up reality even if it meant that Ichigo never would have met Grimmjow. They were in the thick of it now and he missed Ichigo being arrogant. He can't tease him when he's this upset and when he is acting like this it makes it hard to pretend that Ichigo is happy how things turned out because he was able to meet him.

"You aren't useless. You've been against vampires before you even knew that you've had powers, you've fought off shinigami, and you surprise me every day I'm with you." Grimmjow reassured, nuzzling his nose into his hair and taking a deep breath relishing in Ichigo's scent that came from his orange hair and the blood that flowed through him.

"I got kidnapped twice, _twice_ and I was almost taken away again today. You got hurt trying to save me every single time and no matter what I do there is no way I can repay you. I don't know what you see in me when I keep holding you back." Ichigo nearly shouted.

Grimmjow was getting pissed and hunger flashed in his eyes. He tackled Ichigo to the ground and aggressively kissed his lips. Ichigo's breath hitched, but he didn't push him off. He just grabbed hold of his shirt, not pushing him away nor pulling him closer.

"You wanna know what I see in you? You fight back. Even when I need to protect you you'd fight back." Grimmjow whispered in a husky voice. "Even before you learned I was a vampire you'd fight back with me despite us not really being friends and after that you fought back knowing that I had the potential of harming you."

Grimmjow met his lips again for a brief moment. The kiss wasn't deep, but it was still passionate. "You're a fighter and you still challenge the world despite being at the disadvantage."

Grimmjow grabbed a hold of Ichigo and lifted him up from where he was sitting with incredible strength. Ichigo held back his shock and quickly wrapped his legs around him instinctually adjusting to the new position he was in and to keep himself from falling as Grimmjow's hands wrapped around him and held him in a more comfortable position. To his joy the most comfortable way he could how him was by his butt. "Words don't describe what I see in you and I'm not sure I can fully express how much I love you despite how much we've been through together, but I can try."

"Wait," Ichigo looked over Grimmjow's shoulder and realized that Grimmjow was walking him over to his bed. Grimmjow walked him over to the edge and laid him down as he towered above him, his body laid out in front of him. Ichigo's mind didn't have enough time to process what was going on. All he really figured out was that Grimmjow was now on top of him before Grimmjow captured his lips again. This kiss was more passionate then hungry like his other kisses. It was like Grimmjow was trying to prove that he actually loved Ichigo rather then saw him as a food source not that Ichigo ever thought like that before.

"Wait, are we doing this right now?" A bright pink shade has taken over Ichigo's face as he realized what was going on and what Grimmjow intended when he said those words. Grimmjow's hands sank lower and found their way under Ichigo's shirt where he stroked his hands up and down his chest.

"I can't wait anymore. Just being around you drives me crazy and every instinct in my body has been telling me to get as close to you as possible."

Ichigo's blush turned darker and Grimmjow is once again amazed by the color that took over Ichigo's face and heated up his body. It felt like his head was full of cotton, he couldn't think properly so he did what his body told him. Ichigo gripped Grimmjow's hair and pulled him closer so that he can capture his lips again. He practically tore Ichigo's shirt over his head. He didn't care to think about whether or not he damaged the clothing he was way more focused on getting to feel more of him.

He pulled away and moved further down Ichigo's body. He started to suck his chest desperately, his hands exploring his muscular body. "I love you so much that I can't control it." He said desperately between kisses and bites. He wanted to cover Ichigo's entire body in marks so that he was constantly reminded how much Grimmjow desired him.

Ichigo's mind was blank all he knew was that he wanted to feel more. He thrusted his pelvis upwards into Grimmjow's own. He hadn't realized how hard he has gotten until he felt the hot friction against the tightness of his pants. He craved more and from what he felt from Grimmjow's he could tell that he felt the same way.

He grabbed hold of Grimmjow's shirt and tore it over his head. He started to run his hands up and down his sides much like how he was doing to him. He never felt this way before. Even when he had a girlfriend he never felt the same urge to touch her as he was feeling right now. Ichigo kissed Grimmjow's neck and started to suck. Grimmjow moaned and ran his hands down further, not wanting to turn down a challenge.

He quickly undid Ichigo's belt and unbuttoned his jeans before sinking his hands below the waist line. Ichigo's breath hitched when he felt Grimmjow's calloused hands wrap around him. "Fuck," he cursed and started to work on Grimmjow's own pants.

Grimmjow grunted in approval and gave a few welcoming strokes on Ichigo's member. The other hand pulled the fabric imprisoning Ichigo's lower half and discarded it by throwing it across the room.

He scooted away from Ichigo for only a second to help him pull down the rest of his own before he quickly went back to his position of being on top of Ichigo.

"Can we go further?" Grimmjow asked.

If Ichigo was in his sane mind right now then he would have actually considered the question. He knew exactly what Grimmjow was asking and he knew the devastating result, but Ichigo was so turned on that he didn't care. All he wanted was too feel better and to feel more of him.

"Yes." Ichigo said immediately not even sounding embarrassed to allow such a tall request.

Grimmjow kissed him before getting up and leaving Ichigo cold and complaining.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ichigo asked as his mind started to function a little more around the lust.

"Hold on. I need to prepare you." Grimmjow said making a beeline for his suitcase. He rustled around in it to find what he was looking for.

"I don't care about being prepared just come back." He said shamelessly.

Grimmjow considered it for a second. He wanted to be inside of him as soon as possible, but he knew better than to do him raw. He didn't want Ichigo to get hurt even though he knew no matter what they did to prepare Ichigo beforehand he would still be in excruciating pain. This was his first time after all and just that thought made Grimmjow's dick twitch even more.

Before Grimmjow could consider it for another second he found what he was looking for. He fell back on top of Ichigo with a small bottle in his hand. Ichigo knew what Grimmjow was looking for when he said that he wanted to prepare him, but Ichigo didn't expect it to be that kind of lube. Of course Grimmjow got strawberry flavored. He didn't expect anything else from him and from the looks of it Grimmjow had amusement written all over his face. Of course even in this situation he would look for a way to tease him.

Grimmjow allowed himself to move down to Ichigo's entrance. Ichigo impatiently watched him as he poured a generous amount of lube onto his finger before sliding it in. Ichigo's breath hitched and immediately started to have second thoughts about what was going to happen next. The finger didn't hurt so much, rather it was uncomfortable. What did hurt was when the second finger slid in and started scissoring inside of him. Ichigo was about to change his mind, but before he did Grimmjow's fingers brushed against his prostate. Ichigo felt tingles all over his body and a groan escaped from his lips. Grimmjow read him like a book and thrusted his fingers against the bundle of nerves. In response Ichigo moaned even louder which only encouraged Grimmjow to pleasure him more.

He kept going and eventually he added a third finger. Ichigo was panting and Grimmjow could barely take it anymore, but he still wanted to make sure Ichigo was okay with going further.

Grimmjow pulled his fingers out which made Ichigo unintentionally whimper. He was about to ask Ichigo if he was allowed to enter, but before he could even open his mouth Ichigo encouraged him to hurry up.

Grimmjow poured a generous amount of lube on his cock and started to stroke it. He immediately wanted to get more friction on it and he was excited for what was about to come next. Grimmjow positioned himself at the entrance and stuck the head in.

Ichigo bit back a moan and Grimmjow could see the tears form in the corners of his eyes. He leaned over to kiss him as an apology, but that only seemed to hurt Ichigo more. Grimmjow was conflicted. He didn't want to move, but at the same time Ichigo's ass squeezing against him felt freaking amazing and he knew that it would feel even better if he delved in further. He decided to ask Ichigo himself.

"Are you okay?" Grimmjow asked.

Ichigo bit down on his lips and nodded his head. He tried to relax and work through the pain, taking the initiative and rocked onto Grimmjow's cock which only seemed to hurt him more as he let out a small scream before biting it back and squeezing his eyes shut. Damn, fanfiction really romanticizes this part. Grimmjow wasn't new to anal sex, but Ichigo even admitted it himself a while back that this was his first time with a guy and that he was still a virgin. He thought he was taking it slow, but it seemed he wasn't slow enough which meant that it was Grimmjow's job to make sure Ichigo had a good experience.

"Calm down. You need to relax. Let me handle it." Grimmjow said in a soothing voice. "Just take a few deep breaths."

Ichigo took Grimmjow's advice and relaxed. He felt himself open up more and Grimmjow eased into him further, grabbing a hold of Ichigo's cock and started to stimulate it. He hoped to encourage the pleasure over pain factor and it seemed to be working.

Eventually Grimmjow's balls were flush against Ichigo's ass before he even realized it. He looked over at Ichigo's face and he seemed to be taking it just fine. He was taking deep breaths and he looked like he was as composed as he could be in that position.

Grimmjow got his consent to keep going and he slowly pulled out of him before easing himself back in. He gave a few thrusts to test the waters and Ichigo only winced slightly, but eventually Grimmjow found his prostate again and pleasure washed over him. Ichigo's expression revealed everything and Grimmjow decided it was safe to pick up the pace.

He started off slowly and gradually gained momentum focusing on stimulating pleasure to Ichigo's prostate. He didn't let go of Ichigo's cock, afraid that if he did Ichigo would be more focused on the pain over the pleasure. He wasn't sure how much Ichigo was enjoying himself without touching him there at the same time.

Ichigo's body was sent into a heated frenzy. The pain still lingered since he wasn't used to what was being dealt to him, but his lust and desire made it way more bearable to the point that he was able to ignore the pain. It also helped to look at Grimmjow's face that was so focused on doing him right so that he wouldn't hurt him. He was doing a good job and he seemed to be getting plenty of pleasure himself as he tried to resist squirming and his moans filled the room along with his own. Ichigo could feel his dick inside of him throbbing, realizing that Grimmjow was going to cum. He felt less embarrassed as he climaxed first, spilling his seed on Grimmjow's stomach.

Ichigo's ass clenched tighter around Grimmjow as the man on top of him let out a strangled moan as he continued to stroke him even after he came so that Ichigo could ride the wave of pleasure. Not long after, Grimmjow pulsated inside of him and he gasped for air. Ichigo pressed his lips against his and held him closer as Grimmjow continued to thrust until he threw his head back and ripped out the loudest moan he has ever made in his entire long life. Grimmjow's seed poured inside of him and he continued to thrust to make sure none spilled out before he pulled out and collapsed on top of Ichigo.

"I love you so fucking much that I don't know what to do with myself." Grimmjow said burying his face into the crook of Ichigo's neck. He squeezed onto Ichigo tightly as he let out a deep breath that blew through Ichigo's damp, sweaty hair.

"Looks like it is my job to figure out to do with you," Ichigo said with a tired voice. "You can figure out what to do with me instead."

Grimmjow planted a kiss on Ichigo's neck where he was burying himself, "sounds good to me."

* * *

 **A/N: You see why I was resenting this chapter? I'm incredibly shy so make me feel better by writing a review or you can follow and favorite if you haven't yet. I'm going to go hide in a corner or something until next week.**


	24. Chapter 24

Enjoy the chapter and make sure you leave a review. It really helps me out

* * *

Chapter 24

Grimmjow and Ichigo found time to pack after last night's events. Well, at least Grimmjow packed for the both of them. Grimmjow was happy to do that after they both showered and Ichigo collapsed boneless on the bed, groaning from the pain in his backside. Grimmjow got off easy after putting Ichigo through that. He was practically glowing. Even though Ichigo refused to admit that he enjoyed what they just did, but his lifted spirits said otherwise. Grimmjow wasn't sure if Ichigo's euphoria was going to last, but he was glad that he was at least able to distract him. He was ready to do whatever it takes to keep Ichigo happy if only for a little longer.

Ichigo was pretty good at hiding his pain even when he had to climb down the huge ladder that lead to the hideout under Urahara Shoten. Urahara, Isshin, and Shinji were there already as well as two other people that both Ichigo and Grimmjow didn't expect to see.

"Rukia, Renji, what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked approaching his two best friends.

"You are not leaving without saying goodbye this time." Rukia said throwing her arms around Ichigo while Grimmjow watched from the side lines only feeling semi-jealous that he accepts her hugs so easily and a little concerned that she would touch him the wrong way and ignite his soreness. "Stop making plans without telling us."

Ichigo accepted the hug and had no choice, but to accept the hug that was tackled on top of him by Renji. Renji was a lot stronger than the last time Ichigo was with him. It occurred to him that Renji was turned to a vampire after Rukia flew all the way to America because she couldn't wait. The program should be just about over by now, but it seemed the core purpose of it was already over. He had no idea how they got here so fast or how they knew about this place, but he was sure that Urahara had something to do with it.

Grimmjow pulled Renji off of Ichigo as soon as contact was made. He explained that Renji was just turned to a vampire so he doesn't know how to properly adjust his strength, but the real reason was because he knew Ichigo's body wouldn't appreciate being tackled by a vampire. He already felt how strong a vampire was when he was trying to be careful and pleasurable. He didn't need to get hugged to death by his best friend.

"Alright, alright, you got to say goodbye so let's get this show on the road." Urahara said clapping his hands together. "I need to explain some stuff to ensure safe travel. For starters Shinji could you get their stuff that is inside of the shop?"

Shinji groaned. "Why do we need to do this down here? Wouldn't it be easier to just do this upstairs?"

Urahara ignored him and focused on Ichigo and Grimmjow.

"Alright, so you two probably know that each shinigami has a special skill set that is mostly unique to them."

Grimmjow didn't fully understand what he meant by skill set, but Ichigo has mentioned it before. He learned that all shinigami have unique abilities and they are all somehow related to each other and may even have some similarities to his ancestors that also had shinigami powers. It only seemed to confuse him more though. He couldn't tell what power Ichigo had at all. At the dead of night he and Ichigo would train every now and then. Ichigo had the power to push him back with great force just from his voice, but it didn't relate to his healing abilities at all. Then Ichigo somehow became flexible and perform acrobatics that could put the Chinese gymnastic team to shame. According to Ichigo that power made him feel stronger, more flexible, more insensitive to pain, and sharpened his senses. All the powers Ichigo has unlocked didn't seem to relate in anyway and Grimmjow was hoping that they didn't relate with something silly like sounding similar in a different language. Then there was Ichigo's ability to summon a sword. The shinigami that they have fought before had the same ability, but their weapons looked different. Did all shinigami wield different weapons?

"Well you two get the joy of seeing what my special skill is." Urahara said. "My main power revolves around teleportation."

Grimmjow and Ichigo's mouth dropped open. If you gave out a survey that asked 'if you could have one superpower what would you want?' one out of five would say that they wanted teleportation. This guy was living the dream. He even had more than that. He had telekinesis so this guy's power must revolve around space or some overpowered shit like that.

Seriously, even though Ichigo's healing powers were mega helpful and was powerful enough to reconnect Grimmjow's arm Grimmjow could still feel Ichigo's frustration resonating off of him. He must have realized the gap in their problem. Grimmjow couldn't even imagine that that power existed and the amount of freedom it gave Urahara. No wonder it felt like that guy was everywhere. If he wanted to he could probably take over the world with that power.

"That's so overpowered." Ichigo stated plainly, saying exactly what no doubt was on everyone's mind.

"I know, right?" His father chimed in with a groan. "I've been thinking that for years."

"Dammit, let me finish you two." Urahara said. "There are freaking rules for teleporting and you damn well know it Isshin." He said in more of a mumble.

"To be able to export you all to Germany I need you two to listen carefully because it will take two trips to get you three there with all your stuff." Urahara explained.

"There are special rules for teleporting people. I need to be holding you by my hands and I have to teleport as well. For me to teleport I can only teleport to places that has a picture of me. Luckily I have stores all over the world and I make sure each one has a picture of me so I can teleport there." Urahara explained. "There are a few more rules, but they aren't really important for you to know and honestly explaining everything is boring."

Shinji was somehow able to bring the bags down the ladder without any help and he miraculously didn't fall. Grimmjow wondered what his skill set was. The first time they have met him he was floating in the air and that was how he always came in through Ichigo's window when he came to visit. Then there was his power to create illusions. He seriously didn't know how those related either. Shinigami powers were weird and he understood now why shinigami had to go to school for years to learn how to control their powers.

"I'll go first." Shinji said letting out a long sigh as he dragged their luggage over. "I don't trust leaving you two alone without me. You two would just ditch me."

Urahara shrugs and Grimmjow clicked his tongue as he realized that his idea wasn't a bad one. He was fine with letting Ichigo stay with his family, but having a shinigami babysitting them was kind of a turn off. He got irritated enough that he kept on visiting. What was even more irritating was that Ichigo was actually starting to like him since he was able to see him as a mentor. Shinji was able to give him hints and tips even though he claimed that he couldn't exactly help Ichigo unlock his powers since every inner soul has different temperaments and his powers were unique.

Shinji grabbed onto Urahara's hand. Grimmjow closed his eyes just for a second to blink and when he opened them up they were both gone. He knew teleportation was quick, but he didn't expect the two of them to be gone that quickly.

Before he could wrap his mind around what just happened Urahara was on top of Isshin and they both toppled forward.

"Dammit Kisuke, you could have waited of me to put the picture down first." Ichigo's father groaned as he pulled himself off the floor.

"You could have also put the picture down first." He said rolling upwards onto his feet.

Grimmjow didn't fully understand what to make of the situation. He would have thought that Ichigo's father was working alongside Urahara for years. They were supposed best friends that worked and went to school together. Heck weren't the two of them roommates? Even so they didn't really seem coordinated since Urahara just ended up on top of his father. Geez, Grimmjow seemed to have a better system as roommates than these two had. They just texted each other when they needed the room. It was mostly Grimmjow that needed it just so he was able to drink blood without the fear of Ichigo coming in. Then again he did accidently feed from Ichigo and lie to him, but they weren't going to go into that.

"Alright, you two are next." Urahara said walking up to the couple like nothing happened.

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow with an uncertain look in his eyes and Grimmjow couldn't think of anything to do or say so he just shrugged. He didn't have an answer for Ichigo's concern. He was in the same boat as him and he wasn't sure if it was the best idea to row into the wave or hope that the wave doesn't topple them over, but one thing was for sure, that wave was coming.

"It's not as bad as what you would think." Rukia reassured, "Urahara teleported me and Renji here from your school."

Geez, why did she get special treatment when he and Grimmjow had to take a plane? Dramatic affect? Ichigo seemed to have trusted her. He nodded his head toward her and grabbed a hold of Urahara's hand first. He looked over at Grimmjow with a serious expression. Whatever happens let it come.

"Wait, Ichigo. I need to tell you something." Rukia started, but before she could finish her thought Grimmjow grabbed a hold of Urahara's hand. Before his mind was able to process Urahara's cold skin they were gone.

"Why couldn't Urahara just let me finish?" Rukia sighed.

Isshin gave her a harsh look. "He did it intentionally. Now isn't exactly the time to tell Ichigo that you are Kaien's daughter. He still needs to figure some things out himself and his inner soul doesn't seem like it will respond to that kind of stress."

* * *

One second they were standing in the underground hideout with a shifting dirt ground floor below their feet, now they were standing in a room that they didn't recognize. Their hands were released, but quickly Grimmjow's and Ichigo's hands found each other's. They looked over to Urahara, but he was already gone.

In front of them stood Shinji who simply waved, "long time, no see." He joked, which only earned eye rolls from the two lovers standing in front of him. It didn't take them a long time to go from confusion to annoyed.

All of their luggage appeared out of nowhere and clattered against the floor. Ichigo had no idea where they came from since Urahara didn't appear to bring it over, but he inferred that he teleported it over using one of the rules that he didn't explain.

"Well now that our luggage has been exported over here we could get going." Shinji said leading them out of the room into an area that looks like a shop.

"Hey Jinta," Shinji said walking into the shop like he belonged there. "Can you do us a favor and give us a ride?"

Behind the counter of the empty shop there was a man with red hair that was the same color as Renji's. He looked around Ichigo's age, but knowing that this guy was involved with Urahara made him wonder if he was closer to Grimmjow's age. There was no way he could tell if he was human from his appearance anyway. He couldn't just assume anything anymore.

The man, Jinta, just groaned and grabbed his car keys without even acknowledging Grimmjow or Ichigo. Where does Urahara find these people.

"Nice to see you too," Shinji said following the man out the door, hinting for Ichigo and Grimmjow to follow.

* * *

The car ride was silent and awkward. That guy from the shop didn't need directions after he was told where he was driving them and he held an aggressive expression the entire time that became very visible in his driving. Grimmjow's head was glued to the window as his eyes swam in recognition. Ichigo wanted to laugh at how Grimmjow was acting like a homesick child who was finally able to return, but he related with him. After the abroad program was cut short for him he went to Japan and didn't have a chance to talk to anyone in his family while he was there. He turned off his phone when he went to Japan and didn't turn it on since. Ichigo did the same when they teleported to Germany. At least Google won't see any unusual activity like how they magically ended up in a different country in the blink of an eye.

He was already getting attacked by vampires and being hunted by shinigami. He didn't need to start being questioned by Google on top of that. Google can take over the world in silence by tracking our search history, selling our information, and filtering ads that they think we'll be interested in for all he cared as long as they stay out of the way. We can deal with those conspiracy theories another day. Hiding in a different country came first.

Before the car came to a complete stop in front of what looked like a huge manor Grimmjow opened the door and walked out of the car.

"Hey, watch out." Ichigo called after him.

Grimmjow ignored him as he looked at his home in excitement. Jinta stopped the car abruptly and cursed at Grimmjow loudly. Grimmjow popped the trunk and carried their bags out anxiously as he itched to get inside. Ichigo never saw him like that. He was acting completely out of character, but he didn't mind seeing this new side of him. It made him look more human. He wasn't hiding behind a hard aggressive exterior like he usually did. He was probably being affected by the familiarity of his surroundings.

Before Ichigo could even properly look at the huge manor in front of him Ichigo was quickly tackled by an unknown source. His entire body ached as his back met the hard sidewalk which erupted pains that have been caused by the night before and his eyes squeezed tightly together from the huge weight that was now lying on top of his chest.

"Oh my God, it's Ichigo!" shouted a familiar voice that was only a few inches from his face. He felt hot breath run across his cheek and his shock from the pain that was just dealt to him registered in his mind causing him to groan. He opened his eyes and they met muddy pools that shined with excitement.

"Nel?" He asked, recognizing the person who was laid on top of him. He was never so close to her face and he only just realized how her eyes looked greyer then he originally thought, not that it mattered. All that really mattered was the hope that she would get off of him.

"How did you get here? When did you get here? Why didn't you call?" Nel asked bombarding him with questions when she got the hint that maybe crushing a human beneath her may not have been the best idea and picked herself up off of him.

"It was kind of a last second plan." Ichigo explained trying to get up, but wincing in pain at the slight movement. Seriously, all the vampire tackles on top of the pain from last night was really wrecking Ichigo up. He didn't know if his body could take any more of a beating and he has gotten into a fight with a giant vampire that was built like a tank on steroids.

Grimmjow helped him up and leant him a shoulder to lean on, holding him close so that Ichigo could put as much weight on him as he could. "Yeah, we will be staying here for a while. I need to talk to dad." Grimmjow explains.

From where Nel came from they saw another vampire running toward them. Ichigo didn't recognize him, but he was sure he was a vampire from the speed that he was running at them with.

"Dammit Nelliel, why the fuck did you run off like that?" He practically shouted while he started to slow down when he approached the group. He was tall, extremely tall; he had to be about seven feet. He was incredibly lean like a prey mantis and he had dark ebony hair that seemed to shine. "If you're going to get a freaking snack tell me first."

He stopped in his tracks and looked at Grimmjow, finally noticing that there was actually a group of people that Nel greeted. "Oh fuck, Grimmjow's home. Why didn't anyone tell me he was coming back?" He took a second to assess the situation. "Oh shit, that must be his boyfriend that you told me about. Dammit, warn me when he smells that good. I almost went ahead and sucked him dry."

Grimmjow's eyes were dangerous like an animal protecting its prey from another predator and growled, "Off limits, Nnoitra."

The vampire, Nnoitra raised his hands defensively, not swayed at all by Grimmjow's dangerous expression. "I know, I know. Geez, you don't need to be such a hard ass. I'm not even interested in him even though he smells good. I'm more curious about that guy?"

Nel looked over and gasped when she realized that there was a third person in their party. He had no presence and gave off no scent what so ever even though he was a pretty unique looking fellow. He just sat their patiently, probably wondering when they would notice him or hoping that they _wouldn't_ even notice him.

"Oh." Shinji stated when he realized that he was talking about him. "I'm with these two. I'll be intruding on you as well. My name is Shinji Hirako."

"Why did you tell them your name so easily?" Grimmjow growled recalling how he needed to force Shinji to give him his name when they first met.

Shinji shrugged. "The institution probably knows I'm here already, so fuck it."

"Shinji, huh?" Nnoitra practically purred, walking over and taking his hand. "I'm Nnoitra. It's a pleasure."

Grimmjow and Nel looked at him in awe as Shinji stared at him in confusion, pulling his hand out of Nnoitra's and bringing it closer to his chest as if it was just burned.

"Y-yeah, cool." Shinji stuttered and walked past him towards the gates of the manor that looked like a giant country club keeping his head down and his hair covering his suddenly flustered expression. Ichigo has never seen Shinji act like that before. Seeing him embarrassed and not really having control over what was going on around him was a completely knew sight. Before he could progress anymore Nnoitra tried to carry his bag for him, but Shinji pulled it away from him and throwing him a stern expression that practically stated that he didn't need his help.

"Hey Nnoitra, weren't you making fun of Grimmjow for falling in love with a guy before he got here?" Nel questioned in a whisper that wasn't exactly quiet enough to only be heard by Nnoitra which only caused Shinji to go back to hiding his face and Ichigo and Grimmjow to just look at each other. The two of them were vampires. Nel didn't need to whisper so loud. He would hear her if she did it quietly. "What gives?"

"Shut up, Nelliel. I wasn't against it I was just surprised." Nnoitra fought back.

Shinji sighed and cursed to himself. He decided to break it to him. "I'm not interested. I'm not planning on staying here for too long. I'm just here to make sure these two stay out of trouble." He confessed. "I hope that we can get along despite not having an interest to sleep with you."

Grimmjow didn't bother holding back a smile from watching the tall vampire get completely rejected and watching Shinji have to be the one to go through that. Ichigo had to nudge his side to remind him that Hirako was their friend whether Grimmjow liked it or not and that meant that he probably shouldn't laugh at this. He didn't know Grimmjow's relationship with this Nnoitra guy, but it had to be something to get this kind of reaction from Grimmjow. "I-I never said I was interested either." Nnoitra stuttered, correcting himself. "I just thought it would be interesting to have a bit of a fling."

Shinji had to catch himself from sighing as Nel input a code on the keypad next to the gate so that she could let them in. It was clear that Nnoitra had interest in him more than just a casual fuck and everyone there knew that. "What would that accomplish anyway? I'm staying here so it would be mega awkward to have a fling with you and we've never met before. What is so interesting about me?"

"Shinji, give up. The only way to make him stop is to sleep with him. He won't stop bothering you until he gets that nut out." Grimmjow said not sounding too concerned. Ichigo doesn't understand what Grimmjow's relationship is with Nnoitra, but it seems like they are close. At least he was close enough to know that much and he seems to be taking an unhealthy enjoyment out of both Shinji and Nnoitra's frustration. It was borderline sadistic. This was the guy Ichigo has agreed to have a relationship with.

"No, I've never met him. Also when I entered the world of the living I swore off romance." Shinji said knocking away the Nnoitra's hand that was trying to grip him by the shoulder while he was leading them into the entrance of the mansion.

"Geez, maybe it'll be good for you to sleep with him." Grimmjow mumbled. "When was the last time you slept with anyone."

Shinji didn't answer, deciding it was best to ignore the blue haired vampire that seemed to not mind how embarrassing. He just followed Nel into the foyer ahead of the group, probably because he had the desire to just disappear as quickly as possible.

Ichigo resisted his jaw from dropping when they entered the house. It was huge. More like a mansion and the foyer was just the first room that they entered. There was a white marble staircase with a golden banister and a giant crystal chandelier at the center. The white tile floors looked incredibly classy and he couldn't see any imperfections scratched on it. He knew that Grimmjow's clan was well-known and powerful. From the outside he just assumed that the space was large to accommodate the amount of vampires that lived inside. He didn't expect the inside to look like that. His father must be loaded and have a thing for interior decorating.

At the sound of the door closing a head peaked down from the top of the stairway. The head belonged to a guy who looked like a stereotypical vampire. If you put him in a room with three other people and a human and asked the human to point at the vampire there is no doubt that they would point at him. He had large green eyes with dark makeup, dark hair, a short, lean figure, and incredibly pale skin, pale enough that he could compete with a sheet of paper in terms of whiteness.

"Grimmjow, you're home." He said in a monotone voice. "And you brought friends."

Ichigo was hoping that he would be able to get along well with everyone, but from the people he has met so far he wasn't so sure anymore. He's just met Nnoitra, but he seemed like an asshole and the only thing Ichigo really learned about him was that he wanted to get into Hirako's pants.

Then there was this guy who seemed pretty quiet, but he looked like he had no personality and no emotions. He even seemed a little disgusted that Grimmjow brought two unknown people into their household without any warning.

"We don't usually let outsiders in so they must be pretty special." He said in the same monotone voice.

"I'm not sure about this Hirako guy, but Ichigo is plenty special." Grimmjow explained.

"I think Shinji is special." Nnoitra said, trying again to make physical contact with Shinji only for him to side step away from him before that contact could even be made. It was clear that Shinji was starting to lose his patience. He probably wouldn't be so nice if anything else happened.

"Oh, so that's the one that Nelliel kept talking about." The short vampire said. "This is the human that you want to marry?"

Ichigo's jaw dropped this time. He did a good job preventing it from dropping to this point, but this time it was actually rational. He knew that Grimmjow wanted him to join his clan, but he didn't know that he had to marry him. He honestly didn't know what he expected when Grimmjow admitted that he wanted him to join his family, but for some reason marriage wasn't the thing on his mind. Grimmjow never suggested anything like that and he was kind of surprised to hear it said out loud. Heck was gay marriage even legal in Germany not that he expected vampires to have the same laws as the rest of Germany. He probably would have to Google that later.

Everything settled in on him at once. Was this what he wanted? He loved Grimmjow and he knew that Grimmjow loved him back, but if he were to go through with this there would be no backing out. There was no way he would be able to get a divorce unscathed and if he gets turned into a vampire he will probably be unable to see the majority of his friends again. Then there was a family. He knew about his dad being a shinigami so he knew that at least he would be there for the long run, but what about his sisters. His mother was a human, right? Does that mean his sisters aren't guaranteed to get shinigami powers and they were bound to live a normal human lifespan?

"Um, this is the first time I'm hearing this." Ichigo admitted.

Nel gave Grimmjow a deadly look before walking over to Ichigo and placing her hands on him. She studied his face and realized that he seriously had no idea what was going on.

"Grimmjow, you didn't tell him that you were planning on making him your forever mate?" She asked. "Did you change at all from when you left the college?"

"I was planning on telling him later today, but Ulquiorra just had to go ahead and ruin everything." Grimmjow growled. "I did change. I don't want to keep anything from Ichigo anymore. I just wanted to be the one to tell him."

The pale vampire, Ulquiorra looked at him with a blank expression. "Don't blame your incompetence on me." He said. "It is your job to inform him that you wanted to marry him. Was your original plan to force a wedding on him before getting his consent?"

Grimmjow didn't answer. That was the plan, wasn't it? He did admit that his original plan to get Ichigo to join the family was to drag him to Germany without him having any knowledge of vampires and forcing vampirism on him. Luckily it never came to that, but Ichigo was understandably uncomfortable. How many things was Grimmjow planning on keeping from him? Was it really such a good idea for him to go through with this? He wasn't so sure anymore. He knew he loved him, but having to deal with Grimmjow's little surprises because he is too scared to tell him anything was starting to become annoying even if he did plan on telling him right after they put their stuff down. Explaining that he went into the relationship with the intention of marrying Ichigo would have been a nice talk a long time ago, but now it felt late.

"Holy shit, Grimmjow," Nnoitra cursed. "Dad won't like it if you don't let him in on your plans you know?"

Grimmjow's eyes locked onto Nnoitra's in a death glare, but Nnoitra only seemed amused by it. "Here I'll show you how it is done so you don't get confused."

Nnoitra took a hold of Shinji's hand who was just trying to be quiet during the conflict that he was sitting through. He flinched and tried to pull away out of instinct before settling down and letting things happen in an effort to not make any more problems. "Shinji, I know we just met, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Shinji looked at him in confusion. Then he looked at Ichigo for any suggestions, but Ichigo was just as lost and even a bit curious about what was going to happen next. "Why am I being used as an example?" Shinji finally asked after a few too many moments of awkward silence. Ichigo could visibly see the confusion on his face as he didn't know how to act in this situation as he just wanted to be overlooked during the entire exchange with the pale vampire.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Nnoitra cursed, kneeling down, grabbing Shinji by the head and latching his mouth onto Shinji's neck.

Was this seriously happening? Even Shinji looked shocked and it took a lot to put him on edge. He was probably around long enough to know what it meant to have a vampire mark him. Shinji quickly shoved Nnoitra off and grasped his neck, poking at the mark that already started bruising his neck.

"Are you seriously doing this? We just met." Shinji growled. "I've turned you down too. You have no right to do this to me."

Nnoitra ignored him. "Listen up Ulquiorra; you're still new to being a vampire so it is very hard for you to resist human blood. Even though he doesn't smell like anything he is off limits. This guy is mine."

Nnoitra took Shinji by the hand and even though he tried to pull out of Nnoitra's grip his hand was still locked in his. "You're staying in my room." He growled towards him. Shinji quickly stopped his protesting. Ichigo was amazed. From the short while he knew Shinji he never acted like that. He was a guy that seemed to know what was going on and he would always fight even over stupid things. Now here he was being dragged around and deciding not to fight kicking and screaming like he thought he would.

Grimmjow sighed as he watched them go and he bit his lip. "That's strange. The link seems to have worked with him. I thought it wouldn't because he is a shinigami, but he is even listening to his demands. That's weird. It didn't work on you."

Ichigo was officially confused. That was something he didn't think about in a while. Grimmjow continued to mark him even though the link didn't work at all anymore. He just continued to do it just so for the purpose of marking him so if any other vampire saw him they would know to back off. He knew and even experienced the tracking part of the link. The one who places the link can tell where the holder is and even their emotional state. The part that he didn't experience though included that the holder will instinctively want to follow demands from the placer of the link to a limit. That part of the spell did not work at all on him yet it was working with Shinji.

"I told him that it would be best to just sleep with him. When Nnoitra doesn't get what he wants he becomes obsessive." Grimmjow explained. "He still never won a fight against Nelliel and every day he demands that they fight. He always gets what he wants and he probably realized that Hirako was going to keep fighting him. He won't stop until Hirako agrees to be with him. His opportunity to just get out of this with a hurt butt is gone."

Nel gave Ichigo a reassuring look. "It's okay; he's a nice guy when you get to know him. He's just kind of an arrogant asshole sometimes." Nel said.

"Yeah, at least he has emotions." Grimmjow said gesturing to Ulquiorra who remained silent throughout the entire exchange. "This guy doesn't and when he isn't boring as hell he is on a vampiric rampage looking for blood, but what can you do? This is what family looks like."

Ichigo doesn't know what to make out of the situation. He has only met two more people in the family and no one he's met in the Jaegerjaquez clan is normal. There was no way he was going to call Nel and Grimmjow normal even if he did like them. Was everyone in that family as weird as they were? This family was meant to be huge and he could tell that there were way more than the four people he's met so far. He hasn't even met Grimmjow's father yet and he was conjuring ideas of what he would be like.

How weird does this man have to be to let so many crazy vampires live under his roof? Ichigo couldn't even conjure an idea. He was the head of the family and he had to be strong enough for Aizen to fear his power. He didn't know if Aizen feared the man individually or he was just scared of the power that he held, but all he could really make out of the situation was that Ichigo got himself in yet another weird situation and there is probably going to be no way out this time.

* * *

 **A/N: Please leave a review or follow and favorite. I've finished writing the rest of this story all I have left is editing so it's about time I start thinking about what to write next and where I want to go from here. If you don't have anything you want to say after this chapter tell me what you want to see in my next story.**


	25. Chapter 25

None of you are telling me what you want me to see next. You guys do realize that the story is ending right? At the end of the chapter leave a review telling me what you want to see next if you don't know what to review about this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 25

Ichigo dropped his stuff on the floor of Grimmjow's room. He forgot about his worries and frustrations if only for a moment when the door opened to the room that he was going to be sharing with Grimmjow. How did he even manage to share a small dorm room with him? The room was about three times larger than the room that they shared during the program and Grimmjow had this room all to himself.

Ichigo never would have thought that the room belonged to Grimmjow just after sharing a room with him for about six months. Grimmjow was a slob and he would usually leave his side of the room a mess. This room that he supposedly lived in for who knows how long was spotless and a lot bigger so it would take a lot longer to clean. They had to have a maid of some sort or something.

"I'm sorry about the display downstairs." Grimmjow said, knocking Ichigo out of his stupor. "My family can get pretty weird and things shouldn't have been that way during your first meeting."

"Hey, you coped with my weird family while you stayed with me so it shouldn't be too hard to return the favor." Ichigo joked. "I'm more distracted by your room. How come you weren't this neat at school?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "It wasn't this clean when I left. Ulquiorra probably got in. He's been nagging me to clean it for ages. He's the only reason why this house is so clean and nice looking. He's the only really neat person in my family and he'll take it upon himself to make our house presentable."

Ichigo took a seat at the edge of the king size bed and Grimmjow immediately followed him, taking a seat right next to him. They sat incredibly close with their legs touching, but neither of them bothered to move. There was a moment of silence between the two until Ichigo decided to bring up what just transpired outside.

"What's this entire thing about marriage?" Ichigo asked. "You never told me the details about joining your clan and I think we should talk about this now."

Grimmjow shrugged. "I've intended to tell you everything, but honestly I was sort of afraid of how you would react. Once you agree to let me turn you there is no going back. You'll spend the rest of your life with me without any hopes of escape."

Ichigo considered his words. When Ulquiorra brought up marriage it felt like an ice dagger in his heart as the realization occurred to him that this was what the rest of his life would look like if he followed through. Now that he was sitting down and considering what the rest of his life would look like it didn't sound all too bad. Yes he would have to get used to Grimmjow's incredibly weird family, but every family is a little weird and this was the first time he ever felt this way. "Who said anything about escaping?" Ichigo said "When have I ever been the type to back down? I'll see through with this to the very end unless you give me a reason not to." Ichigo replied resting his hand on Grimmjow's thigh.

Grimmjow gripped his hand and brought it to his lips before placing it back down lightly cupping his hand in his, not letting go. "I'm also afraid of not being able to turn you." Grimmjow confessed. "I didn't know that shinigami existed until recently. Almost none of my spells work on you so how would I know if I can turn you and now I've seen the link spell work on Shinji when Nnoitra performed it so I don't know what to believe anymore."

Ichigo considered it. He never put too much thought into the idea that he was going to be turned into a vampire so he didn't really think about it. Part of this still felt like a fairytale so it sounded insane to hear it said out loud again when he has more knowledge and can testify that this is real.

"I was almost turned twice." Ichigo said. "The first time you were able to save me and the second time I saved myself and that was only because Shiro helped me. I experience vampirism even though I never was fully changed."

"Yeah, but Aizen is a purebred and I'm not sure what kind of venom was in that dart," Grimmjow confessed. "Not only that, but if Nnoitra was able to put a spell on a shinigami than maybe it's just that I'm not strong enough to turn you. I've always been better than him at spells so I don't know what to believe. I'm not sure if I am enough to turn you."

"I will let you turn me. Like I told you, Shiro helped me reject the venom. I just need to not reject it this time. You are definitely strong enough to turn me if Aizen wanted you to join his clan."

"Okay, I've been wondering this for a while now. Who the hell is Shiro?" Grimmjow added.

Ichigo hesitated. He could have sworn that he told Grimmjow about him, but then he realized that Shinji has mentioned his inner soul a few times, but he never gave Grimmjow a proper explanation.

"I have a second soul in my body." Ichigo said. It was a way too simple of an explanation, but Grimmjow was intrigued. He kept looking at him, waiting for him to finish his explanation. "My powers take the shape of a person and I have this entire inner world and it is really hard to explain…Heck I don't fully get it myself, but he has been guiding me and helping me awaken my powers."

Grimmjow nodded his head. Ichigo could immediately tell that everything flew over his head and it wasn't going to turn around and try to reenter his brain anytime soon.

"Okay…I don't really understand so I'm just gonna trust that that is a shinigami thing that you have to deal with." Grimmjow said. "I guess there is also an explanation in there about when you were possessed."

"He's kind of an ass." Ichigo admitted. "I may have never met a vampire shinigami, but I don't have a lot of experience with either shinigami or vampires. Even if I'm going to be the first vampire shinigami it'll be an adventure that I get dragged into with you."

Grimmjow laughed. "From human, to shinigami, and now to vampire, the only way to make you even weirder is if you have a history as a hunter."

"Don't jinx anything." Ichigo joked.

"You know, before you came into my life I was afraid of settling down and spending the rest of my life with someone." Grimmjow admitted. "But I'm glad that I made the decision to pick you."

Ichigo leaned over and gave him a kiss. "I think I'm ready for it."

Grimmjow grinned into the kiss and pushed Ichigo back on the bed before sliding his tongue into Ichigo's mouth.

"Wait, are we going to do this again?" Ichigo said. "I'm not sure I'm ready after last night."

Grimmjow hummed and planted a kiss behind his ear. "It's okay, I'll take it slow."

He moved down to kiss Ichigo's neck and he was about to move Ichigo's shirt up to reveal his stomach when there was a giggle from the other side of the room.

"Don't mind me; just pretend I'm not here" joked a girl that made Ichigo turn a bright shade of red.

There sitting on a couch that seemed to be in the rooms living space, yes the room had its own living room with two couches and a giant flat screen television, was Nel who was stretched across the couch completely confortable like she has been laying there for a while with a huge grin on her face that even seemed somewhat perverted.

Grimmjow was about to pounce at the girl and rip her apart for eavesdropping on a supposedly sweet moment between just him and Ichigo, but Ichigo noticed the aggressive stance and quickly pulled him back so that his upper body was practically laying against his chest. He was nearly torn off the bed, but as soon as Grimmjow realized that his hands were on him he regained his composure for the interest of not accidentally hurting Ichigo and allowed himself to lean back into Ichigo's touch.

Nel tried to hold back her giggles at her brother's embarrassment. The desire to tease and embarrass others must run in the family or something even if they are supposedly not blood related. Nel actually came from another family and joined the Jaegerjaquez clan when the two clans merged. She became a lot closer to the people in the Jaegerjaquez clan than the people in her original clan. "I couldn't help overhearing. Sorry, about my acute hearing, but Ichigo there is nothing to worry about. I've met a shinigami who has been turned into a vampire during the program. It's weird; I've never seen her before. I wish you had the chance to meet her before you left."

Ichigo's heart immediately warmed up. He didn't realize how relieving it was to know for sure that a shinigami could be turned into a vampire. At that moment he realized just how ready he was to join the clan even though he has been rejecting the idea ever since he was told that Grimmjow's goal was to make him part of the clan. Honestly he was afraid that the first stage of vampirism was the only part that worked. He knew that he took the venom and he was changing because of that, but he was more worried about the second stage. What if he drank vampire blood, but his body rejected it. He'll most likely be saved again, but there was always the fear that he will go into a mania and attack anything in sight. He wasn't sure if he would become a ghoul or not if the worst case scenario happened and he attacked someone who wasn't a vampire, but if he didn't change into either and it was too late to save him he would die.

He didn't know how there was a vampire who was originally a shinigami at the program and he missed it. It wasn't like he could tell who was a vampire and who wasn't back in America and there wasn't exactly a telltale sign now, but he felt like he should have known if they were also a shinigami not that he knew that he was one until the last day. He was completely curious on how there was another shinigami in the world and the institution was totally focusing on Urahara, Shinji, his dad, and now him. Were there others who has escaped and if they did, did they have kids? How many are there? Is there some kind of shinigami anonymous website he could find online to find out more or is there an off chance that Nel met his cousin that he didn't know about until now?

Nel seemed to have enough of her teasing. She stretched like a cat and got up from the couch that she was just lying on. "By the way Grimmjow, dad is asleep so if you wanna do the fun stuff you may want to keep it down. You know he's going to be upset that you came home and didn't greet him right away yet you had time to screw your boyfriend."

"Dad wouldn't get angry for that. He's wanted me to find love more than I did. I'm pretty sure he would forgive me for spending time with my love then wake him up from his nap."

* * *

"My mole already notified me that Aizen is on the move." Urahara started around the long table that was in a room that was an icy blue color that had banners hanging on the wall with a dragon symbol. It may have seemed over board that he traveled to Norway to visit the Hitsugaya clan, but it didn't take too much effort since he made sure to give Toshiro his card which had a picture of him on it and contacted him only one second before teleporting to himself there. Toshiro wasn't exactly aware of his teleportation power, but then again most people don't. It was a good thing that Urahara didn't catch him with his pants down, but still Toshiro seemed a little annoyed that he had to have a meeting only one minute after being contacted, but that didn't mean much since his default emotion was annoyance.

Despite Toshiro's displeasure with Urahara's surprise meeting he was interested in what the mysterious man had to say. He hinted that he had information would be interesting for him and any information on the man who has killed his sister was enough for him to clear his busy schedule just for him to have a surprise meeting. He didn't expect the other company though.

He never really had many communications with the Kuchiki clan, but opposite him sat a younger looking girl who was supposedly the sister of the head of the clan and right next to her was her fiancé who was recently turned into a vampire that was going to join the clan as well.

"Dammit, are you planning on actually telling me what is going on?" Toshiro grumbled. "Where is he and what are we planning to do?"

"Calm down, you need to lighten up. He was planning on finally landing an attack on the Jaegerjaquez clan in Germany." Urahara said. "It's a risky idea, especially since he was planning on making it an ambush. Little does he know that we are always one step ahead of him."

Rukia slammed her hand on the table. "Urahara, you knew Aizen was planning on attacking the Jaegerjaquez clan yet you sent Ichigo there? You told us that he would be safe there."

Urahara shrugged. "I never said that. I said that they are going to go into hiding there."

Rukia shook her head in disbelief. "Yeah, he's supposed to be hiding from Aizen."

"That's where you're wrong. I put him there to hide from the _shinigami,_ but he is actually also there as bait to Aizen. When Aizen is made a fool of he will not stop until he is able to exact revenge. Grimmjow made a pretty big fool out of him, even managed to kill two of his henchmen." Urahara said. "There is no doubt that he was planning on attacking the Jaegerjaquez clan. The question was when, that is until now."

Renji clutched his hands together until his knuckles turned white. "I still don't like how you are using my best friend as bait. In any other situation I would trust Ichigo to be fine, but this time you're asking for too much. You know he isn't ready to fight yet."

Urahara shook his head and opened his fan to cover his face. "You need to trust him a bit more. Aizen doesn't fully understand Ichigo's powers nor has he seen his whole potential. He is going to be a rough one to crack; after all, he is Isshin's son."

Hitsugaya cleared his throat making himself known so that the ones who were way more familiar with Ichigo and shinigami could actually let him in on the conversation. Seriously this shinigami thing was new to him too so he had the right to ask some questions. This was his home that he allowed them into. "Does Stark know about all of this?"

Urahara looked solemn and the room felt cold as Urahara expressed that kind of emotion in front of them for the first time. "I took a moment to discuss the details with him beforehand. He has accepted plan a without even allowing us to think of an alternative way to trap him. He said that he was prepared for what is to come and he'll do whatever it takes to make his family safe."

* * *

Night fell and Ichigo fell asleep first after he took the liberty of unpacking this time. Urahara made it sound like he was going to be there a lot longer and he wasn't even sure he was going to make it back in time to go back to school and pretend that he had a normal life where he aimed to become a doctor. Grimmjow was lounged on his bed watching Ichigo explore the room, looking for places where he could put his stuff. There was plenty of space since most of the furniture was bought because it was part of the set. Grimmjow didn't like having too much stuff since he traveled a lot and usually the stuff he did have was on the floor. Grimmjow may have lived in this mansion as his permanent address, but he still needed to relocate quite a bit so he has lived in multiple places and eventually he would return home.

When Ichigo moved his suitcase under the bed he plopped next to Grimmjow and curled up against his side, falling asleep almost instantly from the exhaustion the day has placed on him. Grimmjow watched him for a bit, deciding that Ichigo's sleeping face was the second cutest that he seen him. He looked innocent and his face that always held a bit of aggression when he was awake finally looked relaxed. He was cute, but that doesn't compare to his expression when he cums, but he was trying not to think like that right now. They didn't need another round. Ichigo deserved a break.

There was a soft knock on the door. Ichigo stirred a little bit, but he gripped onto the bed sheets and pulled himself further under the covers to make himself even more comfortable. Before the knocking could start again Grimmjow got up and reached the door where he found his father with his hand raised, ready to knock again.

"Hey dad," Grimmjow said. "It's late. I'm surprised to see you awake."

Grimmjow's dad, shrugged. He looked like he just woke up and he looked like he could still go back to bed and sleep for another twelve hours. "I was asleep all day so I need to spend a little time awake."

"I've never heard you say that before." Grimmjow said shuffling out of his room and silently closing the door behind him.

Stark yawned and then moved the hair that fell in front of his face behind his ear. "Can we talk for a bit? I haven't seen you in a very long time and I would appreciate some time with my eldest son."

Grimmjow sat in the lounge chair across from Stark in his study. Stark wrote books under different pen names for multiple generations. It was a good way to bring in income since each of his books would eventually sell million, even books from a hundred years ago that were called 'classics' bring in money to this day. It had flexible hours so it was able to compensate for Stark's long periods of laziness even if writing a bestselling book is hard work. He was an old vampire so he didn't exactly go through the evolutions that make the modern day vampire. He avoided garlic and had to stay out of sunlight since it managed to drain him of his energy, but since society tends to function the most in the daylight he is forced to go out every now and then which only made him more tired and sleep more then he already does. At least with his job he could work during the nighttime and sleep during the day like the night owl he was.

"So that's the one." Stark said in a lazy voice. One would think that he isn't enthusiastic, but that was probably the most enthusiastic Grimmjow has seen him in years even more enthusiastic than when his first book sold over a million copies. Even more excited than when his clan was called the strongest one in Germany. Even more excited than when he first turned Grimmjow, not that he was awake to see that. Grimmjow could only assume. "Why did you choose him? Is it because of his looks? His smell? Your exposure to him?"

Grimmjow listened to Stark's conclusions. He's wondered why he liked Ichigo when he was still in the denial phase and he came up with the same conclusions before immediately rejecting them. Stark probably could come up with a better conclusion for what Grimmjow felt for Ichigo than he could even though Stark never found love himself. Grimmjow shook his head and gave Stark the best reason he could come up with after asking himself why so many times. "He's the one." Grimmjow said with a bit of relief or hope in his voice, he couldn't even tell.

Stark grunted in approval. Grimmjow felt a lot different than the last time he saw his father. He used to be move violent and he was always angry about something. He loved his dad, but he would sometimes act very rebellious, even disappearing for days without telling anyone where he was going. Right now though, Grimmjow was lovesick even though he was trying his best to hide that expression from his dad out of his own embarrassment he could see just how pleased Stark was even though his expression never changed that much to begin with.

A small smile formed on his face. Even though Stark never met Ichigo and didn't have any desire to wake him up Grimmjow had the urge to drag Ichigo out of bed so that Grimmjow could introduce his father to the man who has changed him so much for the better. "Alright, I really hope you're sure of him. You better stand by him no matter what." Stark said.

Grimmjow nodded. "Of course, you have no idea what kind of affect he has on me."

Stark looked glum, "I never loved anyone, but I believe what you have is real, so I need you to promise me that in the worst case scenario you will pick him over me."

Grimmjow didn't really know what he meant, but he really hoped that it didn't mean anything serious. "Don't say stuff like that. It will never come to that."

Stark's expression darkened and Grimmjow knew that when that happened it was time to stop acting so rebellious and just say what he needed to say to make his father happy.

* * *

Stark never found love his entire life even though he was such a strong believer in it. He is one of the world's oldest vampires, if not the oldest, and for a long period of his life he was just wandering in complete loneliness. No one dared challenge him in fear of meeting their end and anyone else that dared approach him feared him or desired to befriend him for his power not realizing that Stark recognized the gesture. Around 200 years ago Stark decided that he had enough. There were plenty of vampires in the world that was able to find love and was able to settle down and create full bred vampire children and then those children would have children while Stark couldn't find anyone. If he wasn't meant to find someone because people feared him then so be it, he'll just find other ways to end his loneliness.

During one of Stark's travels he came across a burning village. Hunter groups started to sprout everywhere and some were travelling, looking to flush out vampires which only tended hurt vampires rather than kill them since their technology wasn't as advanced yet, heal themselves by attacking more people, and retaliate until a vicious cycle was formed. Back then they believed that fire was enough to kill vampires.

There were suspicions that there were vampires in that village and that everyone should be killed no matter what the sacrifice. Anyone who tried to get out of the burning village was shot full of arrows by hunters and even when the body dropped and was shown to be of flesh and blood instead of exploding into sand, the hunters showed no remorse thinking that what they were doing was for the purpose of their mission.

A little boy was able to escape from the fire, but not without experiencing incredible burns. He was small so he was able to escape from the back of the village into the woods where he found Stark who simply watched the flames dance as they devoured the village that the boy once called home. Stark saw the devastation in the child's face that lost everything he has ever known and was in an incredible pain as a result, completely alone, burned, and probably left to die. He collapsed to the floor, hugging his burned body, sobbing. He didn't realize Stark standing there as he was too engulfed in his own suffering to realize the other's presence. If Stark had left him alone than the wolves or the rats would have him by sundown. Stark didn't know how he got the idea, probably from pity as well as his own loneliness, but he forcefully turned the boy into a vampire.

The kid slept for three days after being turned from the world's strongest vampire and within that time his burns healed due to his vampire abilities that started to take root and heal him despite him not being awake to see it. The village was nothing, but ashes. The boy woke up, expecting that everything was just a bad dream to awaken to the cruel reality that he was alone in the world. At least he would be alone in the world if it wasn't for Stark. If it wasn't for Stark he probably would have been dead.

Stark adopted him as his own son and they traveled together. The boy didn't speak for a long period of time in fear of saying something wrong. The reason why his village was burned down was because some people said some things that were a bit on the nose and others didn't worship the Christian religion, eventually the hunters assumed that the village had vampires and that it needed to go. They weren't able to fight back. The technology wasn't that incredible yet, but they were armed and magic was a lot richer and fire worked very well for murdering a large group of people.

Stark never forced him to speak, but he gave him a name so that he could call him something. He called him Grimmjow and the boy seemed to understand and respond to it. The boy was able to kill his loneliness and he gave him a purpose even when he didn't speak. He learned how to live as a vampire by drinking from humans and learned how to control his enormous amount of strength. Eventually the boy started to feel comfortable enough with his new father to speak, his voice cracked and felt unnatural for not talking for so long, but Stark was overwhelmed with joy when he started to feel comfortable enough around him to share his voice. He even decided to keep the name that Stark has given him.

Stark decided that travelling wasn't the best way for a kid to spend his life so he decided that it was time for them to settle down and start a clan even though they didn't share the same blood. He decided to name the clan after the original name of the child, Jaegerjaquez.

The clan started off small with just the two of them, but Stark started to turn more children who were abandoned and then later clans started gravitate towards Stark in desire of protection and willingly merged with them becoming part of the family, taking the Jaegerjaquez name as their own.

Grimmjow's age eventually settled at twenty four and his personality changed significantly from the time he was a scared little boy who escaped from a village burned down by hunters. He grew up to be an attractive adult and multiple clans wanted Stark to marry him off politically, but Stark refused, saying that he wanted Grimmjow to find love because he still had a chance.

Grimmjow didn't believe in love despite being raised by a hopeless romantic and he tried to convince Stark for years that it would be best to just marry him off since it would make the clan stronger, but Stark stood his ground saying that he believed that Grimmjow could find love. Grimmjow occasionally became rebellious, but he never went behind his back. He didn't set up meetings with other clans nor did he lie to him about feeling love for the female vampires that were introduced to him from other clans that desired to carry his children.

Stark then convinced him to go to on the abroad program in America and Grimmjow went hoping that he would be able to put together a political marriage to expand the size of the clan to make it stronger, but all of that changed when he met Ichigo. All his plans were thrown out of the window and he decided that he was going to get Ichigo to join his clan no matter what. He didn't know that he loved him, but something about Ichigo made him want to keep him around and see where everything went. He only discovered later that it actually was love and that he needed to pursue it. He silently thanked his dad for being persistent in believing that he would find love because if it wasn't for him he never would have looked.

* * *

Stark wanted to learn more about how Grimmjow met Ichigo and how he decided that he was the one. He also desired spending some time with the son that has made him who he was today for just a little longer. Grimmjow was relaying everything that happened to the program and he was about to tell the story about how he saved Ichigo from a dorm room where he was almost turned into a vampire when a knocking interrupted their conversation.

Shinji let himself in and Nnoitra tagged behind him, completely attached to the hip despite Shinji's best efforts to free himself from him. Stark already had the pleasure of meeting Shinji in the past, but he never would have expected Nnoitra to take such a liking to him. Shinji cleared his throat, trying not to show his frustration that Nnoitra still wouldn't leave him alone. "Hi, I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm sure you remember Urahara. He needs to discuss something with you."

Stark yawned, showing disinterest. He was usually pretty hard to entertain and Grimmjow was amazed that Stark even took interest enough to ask about how he knew Ichigo was the right one for him. "Fine, let him in."

Shinji clicked his tongue. "Yeah, we are gonna need some of your permission to let a few more people in. We need to discuss the battle plan to prevent a full on war and it's going to happen in Germany."

* * *

 **A/N: Follow, favorite, and review. The story is ending so keep this story from falling into the abyss of not recognized fanfiction. If you don't know what to say tell me what you want to see next in my next story. Thanks for reading.**


	26. Chapter 26

New chapter, have fun or something.

* * *

Chapter 26

Grimmjow knew the day would come very soon, but he didn't expect it to happen at that very moment. Stark has told him over and over again that he was going to inherit the clan if anything happened to him making Grimmjow his right-hand man. He was supposed to join meetings like this if they ever occurred and with his father's inactivity he's barely seen any, but he didn't expect a meeting to occur right now in the middle of the night and with a bunch of people he would rather not deal with. It's hard to have that expectation when there were a bunch of people that he would rather not share his moment with sitting around him around a meeting table discussing how to deal with a person he wished just disappeared already. He would rather spend his first night back home with Ichigo sleeping in his arms.

Wasn't the moment he found love meant to be the happiest he's supposed to feel in his entire life? He was actually proud that he managed to make Ichigo love him without having to force himself on him. Nnoitra can tease him all he wanted that Grimmjow is too modern for his old age and he should have resorted to taking Ichigo the old fashion way just like he did with Shinji. Nnoitra may not have said it yet since he didn't have the chance to yet, but he can definitely see him saying that. Vampires take what they want and there is no better example than that then Aizen.

He didn't expect to see most of the faces sitting around him again for a very long time, but here they are at his home casually sipping tea looking to discuss which actions should be taken. There was that Toshiro Hitsugaya guy that was the head of the Hitsugaya clan despite his young age along with that blond chick with the huge chest that was also in the clan. That's fine. He expected to see them if they were planning to go to war with Aizen, but he didn't expect to see the guy with a stick shoved up his ass. Uryu sat at the table looking completely out of place, nursing his tea with his eyes closed and looking mega irritated as if he couldn't stand being surrounded by vampires.

"Why am I here exactly?" Uryu asked, sounding just as annoyed as he looked. Great, it looks like he doesn't have any idea either, just like the rest of them. "Urahara just warped me here somehow and told me that I needed to stay without giving me anymore details. Are you guys seriously planning on going to war with Aizen?"

Toshiro looked bothered, but he was probably the most qualified person at the table to be leading the meeting. Grimmjow loved his father and he was definitely the strongest person at the table, but he tended to be a bit disinterested and tended to stay far away from vampire politics since it was such a bother. Aizen never outwardly tried to attack him because he knew that in a frontal confrontation his whole clan would be destroyed in a matter of minutes, but now that Aizen was attacking his family he had no choice but to attend the meetings even if they weren't as interesting as he would have liked. Knowing his father he was probably trying to stop himself from nodding off.

"We're going to need you to give word to the Hunters' Association that there is going to be a large battle. We need to clear out some space and work some magic to make it so that no bystander will see anything suspicious." Toshiro explained as if it were obvious. "Hunters are so anal about what we can and can't do." So this guy did have some idea what this meeting was about. He knew more than he did and was probably going to be a bigger part of this than him, but he still needed to sit in. Heck he kind of wanted to sit in just to find out how they were going to take down the one getting in the way of his life.

Shinji raised his hand lightly. "I can take care of that. I can make a protective space so no human will be able to see what is going on and if anyone gets injured I can pull them out and create an illusion to hide them from humans so they won't cause a scene. When it comes to hiding stuff I'm your guy."

Uryu groaned. "If you guys have that settled then why am I here?"

Shinji shrugged. "Probably to warn the hunters of the oncoming bloodshed and because we are going to need some help cleaning up. You can also help with first aid if we need it."

Uryu sighed. "It's just like you vampires to leave all the dirty work for the hunters. What do you see us as anyway?"

Nnoitra, who shouldn't have been there to begin with, answered almost immediately while retaining the bored expression that was set when he walked in, "Our bitches."

Shinji elbowed him in stomach and displeasure was read all over his face. Having Nnoitra around nonstop seemed to make him have to force himself to adjust even if he has only been stuck with him for a day. Shinji seems to have gained more patience for Nnoitra in that short amount of time then Grimmjow has gained over years.

The meeting felt a bit rocky, but doable until Nel burst into the room with her eyes wide like saucers. "Grimmjow we have a situation."

Nel was a fun loving girl who would make jokes even in situations that were difficult and never took anything seriously, but something bad must have happened to get her this panicked and their father noticed. He immediately woke from his boredom and tried to think of ways to calm down his adopted daughter. It was the most expression he had throughout the entire meeting.

Grimmjow stood up knocking the chair over. Nel's lips trembled and she just grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the room so she could lead him upstairs to his room. Rukia and Renji looked at each other and got up from their seats to and followed the two vampires. They knew it was rude to get up during the meeting, but the meeting wasn't exactly treated that formally despite its appearance. If Grimmjow's sister pulled him out of the room then something must be wrong and it most likely involved their best friend. They didn't care which figures they upset in that room. Their best friend came first.

On the way up Grimmjow could tell something was off. He threw the doors open to his room or at least it was supposed to be his room. The room looked like it had its own private hurricane. Everything was knocked over, the things that were on top of his furniture now littered the floor, and the room was flooded at some point while he was gone. Grimmjow couldn't form a reason in his head why Ichigo would do something like this or how he would be capable so it was clear that something happened.

He ran inside and ran over to the bed. He threw around the heavy, sopping wet bed sheets and covers to find no one there. Grimmjow's heart dropped. Ichigo wasn't there, but the entire room smelled like shinigami. Grimmjow took another whiff of the air. Yup, it was shinigami alright, but it definitely wasn't Ichigo.

"He's gone." Nel said just in case Grimmjow didn't figure that out yet. Grimmjow whipped his head around angrily and glared at her. "Yeah, I know. It looks like he was taken by a shinigami right under our noses." He growled. Rukia and Renji immediately started to inspect the room, trying to figure out what exactly happened as they came to the same conclusion as Grimmjow.

He beat himself up for not realizing another presence until now, but Shinigami tended to have a reputation of not really having a presence. Usually Grimmjow 'senses another presence' by the smell of their blood or the sound of their heartbeat and breathing. Shinigami knew how to hide that, but if it was hidden then why did the entire room smell like shinigami?

Something was wrong and he needed to find out where Ichigo was before losing him again. He didn't think his heart could take another kidnapping and Ichigo was probably sick of it too. He tried to sense Ichigo from the mark he put on him, but even though he kept on marking him it progressively became weaker so finding him that way wasn't going to be the most effective way to track him. He examined the room and noticed a window that has been shattered. He stuck his head out to see water dripping down the side of the manor and some destroyed bushes. However Ichigo was taken he wasn't taken through that heaven's door thing. Ichigo was still alive and he was still in this world. What motivation would a shinigami have to kidnap him and keep him in this world and how did they find him so quickly? What would be the motivation to drag him out without a proper fight even though every shinigami they faced seemed to insist on fighting? The meeting would have to wait; right now he needed to get to Ichigo.

* * *

Ichigo thought it before and he'll be annoyed with it again. This was officially the last time he was getting kidnapped. Three times is way too much, _way too much_. At this point it was just a weak plot point. There it is again, the habit Ichigo thought he got rid of, comparing everything to a book or story again. He thought for sure he was going to manage to sneak away this time and face Aizen by himself under Grimmjow's nose. He was a lot stronger than he was in the past and he only needed a little more time to unlock his true power, but here he was getting treated like nothing has changed.

Every time he was kidnapped he was taken a different way whether he was put under a spell, taken by force while he almost escaped, and then there was this one that took the cake. Who knew trying to drown him would be a method of kidnapping? Seriously the creativity of this one was amazing despite it being completely unwelcomed.

Seriously, it was the middle of the night and he was asleep like a normal person just like when Yammy tried to get him. Then the window shattered open and he was surrounded by water before he even had time to sit up from bed. It acted like the freaking ocean in _Moana_ it looked like it bended in unnatural ways like it was being controlled like it bended to the will of a waterbender or something. Obviously the water was being controlled the ocean wouldn't randomly decide to jump through a window to get to the second floor of a building inland. It obviously had the intention of sweeping him away. He was wiped out and even though he wasn't expecting a late night swim he tried to keep his head above the water and try to swim out of the wave, but the water kept on catching him and tangling him up in its unforgiving tide, trying to pull him under. The water was salty and it was completely unnatural as if it really was sea water. Ichigo sensed a shinigami's power from it, but it felt wrong, almost unnatural as if it wasn't meant to exist.

Ichigo tried to fight it off, but his unrelenting force didn't do much damage to the shifting water and no matter how much he tried he couldn't unlock any more of his powers. How could he unlock more power if he doesn't even know what his powers were? Every theory he had about his powers were disproven so he didn't know what to expect. He had no other option but to run. His attempts were futile. The water chased after him and grabbed hold of him before he was even able to grab a hold of the door knob so that he could escape further into the house and get help. The tide pulled him from across the room and out the window.

He fell two stories onto bushes. He got a few small scrapes from the branches, but the water cushioned his fall so the damage wasn't devastating. He was swept down the street, he had no idea how a shinigami could control water so well, but he obviously had time to learn how to use his power. He must have been seriously well trained and if that was the case then Ichigo was in for one hell of a fight and he wasn't going to make it. He doesn't like to admit it, but he needed help, so much for staying hidden. It seemed that the water knew exactly where to take him and for some reason no one was seeing the whole street get flooded. Was no one awake at two in the morning? This may not have been college anymore, but someone had to have heard the water running. He wasn't expecting everyone's phones to go off announcing a flash flood warning, but it would be nice if some insomniac or someone spending too much time on their computer late at night looked out of the window at moment, not that they can do anything.

From what Ichigo saw as he was fighting the wave that dragged him by his ankles he was by some body of water and dragged through some kind of sewer pipe. Ichigo expected to be submerged in water mixed with the unthinkable, but instead he was in some kind of underground tunnel. It looked like an abandoned subway system rather than a sewer. Was it some kind of underground network or tunnels? The water didn't stop there though. It just kept on pulling him until he was in a large room the size of a gymnasium that was well lit. He had no idea why he was pulled here by a shinigami when they could have easily taken him through heaven's door. He couldn't fight off the water that engulfed him so all the shinigami needed to do was drag him through the door. Seriously, even Shiro didn't know what to do in that situation. He was just as lost as Ichigo and he was turning up a storm in his head with anxiety and frustration.

The water let Ichigo go, panting. He immediately scrambled to his feet so that he was ready to face the shinigami that challenged him or any other threats that came his way. He may not win without help, but he was going to put up a fight. Ichigo looked around and recognized a bunch of familiar faces and his stomach dropped. He was surrounded by those vampires, but there were significantly fewer than last time. There was that pink haired vampire, Szayelaporro or whatever that shot him with a dart that put him through the first stage of vampirism which nearly turned him into a ghoul. There was that short blond vampire, Harribel, who nearly killed Izuru and was probably the token female character of their group. Then there was that fox looking silver haired vampire with the strange smile that made his hair stand on end and right beside him was the creep, who led them all, Aizen.

Of course Ichigo wouldn't get a break. Of course traveling to Germany would cause problems. Anything that he does causes problems. Dammit, they should have just stayed in Japan. He could have fought off some more shinigami or something…Okay probably not, but he wouldn't be in an underground tunnel if he stayed there. He thought for sure that Aizen and the rest of his clan would be back in Japan since that was where they originally came from. That was where Ichigo met Aizen even though he never really caused problems for him there. The only thing Ichigo traveled to Germany for was to hide from shinigami, but how did Aizen know that he could find him there. Why stay in Japan when he could get kidnapped on his first day of being in a country he's never been in. Glad he didn't waste his time or anything.

There was one more face Ichigo didn't recognize, well he recognized it somehow, but it put Ichigo incredibly on edge. The last guy looked exactly like him, well almost. He looked like what Ichigo would look like in his late twenties or thirties if he died his hair black. The resemblance was mortifying and it confused him. His mind seemed to think he was familiar like he was some kind of long lost older brother, but every instinct in him told him to get away rather than sit down with him and chat over coffee. Even Shiro seemed tense and Shiro never broadcasted his emotions like that. He could feel Shiro build anxiety at the pit of his stomach making it ache. He told him to stay on guard and get ready to fight with everything he has. Ichigo could tell just from looking at him that he wasn't a vampire. He felt like a shinigami, but there was something off about him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it just felt incredibly wrong. He shouldn't exist in any plane of existence and he couldn't get this uneasy feeling in the wildest parts of his imagination, it was exclusive to that guy.

"Sorry for being rough with you this time, Ichigo." Aizen spoke first. His smooth voice made chills run up Ichigo's spine and made the hairs on his arms stand up. "But we needed some help luring them out."

Ichigo was about to curse up a storm, but the shinigami that resembled him looked at him with a blank, dead stare and all the fire in him seemed to have been washed away making Ichigo resort to mumbling under his breath about how Aizen never showed any fear of roughing him up in the first place.

"I thought he looked kind of familiar." Szayelaporro said in a singsong voice. "He looks just like Aaroniero here and he even seems more powerful. Shinigami are so interesting maybe you'll let me keep him this time."

Aizen shrugged and wore a smug impression on his face. "After this I don't care what happens to him. You can do whatever you'd like."

A wide grin stretched across Szayelaporro's face. "I can't wait to pull him apart to make Aaroniero stronger. There is nothing I love more than forming a stronger chimera. The more shinigami power he has the better."

Chimera? If Ichigo learned anything from reading _Fullmetal Alchemist_ then he would have learned that making a chimera was not good news. Well it wasn't the only thing he learned he also learned the law of equivalent exchange, but that wasn't the point. He didn't know what that guy was made of because he looked almost human. If he was just walking along the street then no one would notice his dead eyes and blank expression. The only thing he could figure out that was in him was shinigami and it must have been the base of what he was.

As if Szayelaporro read Ichigo's mind he explained it to him. "Aaroniero here is part human and part shinigami, just like you. The difference is that you were born that way, he was engineered. It all started when I first found a shinigami. They are rare so I knew that I had to have him. He put up a great fight and I couldn't beat him so I retreated. A few months later I found his daughter and threatened to take her instead. He submitted easily after that."

Harribel looked annoyed like she has heard that story a million times already. She looked bored as if she was wondering why she was even there in the first place. Aizen and that other vampire, Gin stayed silent as they waited for what Ichigo assumed reinforcements. Aaroniero stared off ahead like he didn't have a soul or purpose besides following his master's orders.

"Little did he know his daughter didn't inherit any shinigami powers. She would have been useless to me. He still caved at the threat though and it cost him his life. I was able to rise him from the dead eventually by combining him with living humans and feeding him blood."

Ichigo's skin was crawling throughout the entire story. It upset him to hear that people actually think like this, that this vampire didn't mind using this guy's daughter to get what he wanted and how this man sacrificed his life to save her even though the threat was empty. Heck the threat probably wasn't empty, he would have killed her. Ichigo didn't know what possessed him to ask, but he could feel a gut instinct that he needed to have confirmed.

"Did you know the shinigami's name?" Ichigo asked in a low voice, giving in to the need for knowledge.

Szayelaporro gave him a quizzical look. "Of course, I was hunting this target for months and he was a difficult one. The least I could do was learn his name. You are looking at a chimera formed from the shinigami known as Kaien Shiba."

Ichigo's gut was right. This guy was his long lost uncle who was thought to be dead. At least he should be dead; this was a fate worse than death. He didn't know what he was experiencing as a chimera nor if there was even a scrap of his uncle's humanity left inside of that monstrosity. If there was then he was probably suffering and he had to kill it out of mercy even though there was a part of him that did not want to kill anything much less his uncle. Even if he was killing out of kindness to stop his suffering he didn't know if he had it in him to end a life. He wanted to become a doctor and doctors save people. Ending his suffering is a form of saving, but he wasn't sure if he had it in him. He's going to need to put those feelings aside.

His blood was boiling. He was angry. Why was he angry? He thought he should be scared. He should be scared to face a monstrosity that was originally his long lost uncle. He should be scared that he may end up having to take lives and it was either him or them. He should be scared that a vampire wanted to kill him, take him apart, and use him to add to the chimera like he was just some spare parts that can be used as a booster. His head was throbbing and every muscle in his body tensed up. Wait, it was happening again. Ichigo called out in his head to try and calm Shiro down, but Shiro seemed to have his mind made up. Ichigo wasn't strong enough to kill them and he needed to take his place.

Szayelaporro's smile widened when he saw Ichigo's eyes change color. "Looks like you've gotten stronger, but you don't have control. That's not good Ichigo. You can't think rationally like that. This will be easier than I thought and the payout will be amazing."

Ichigo jumped at him screaming bloody murder. His giant sword appeared in his hand and he was about to take a huge slice out of Szayelaporro, but his sword clashed against metal. Ichigo's dark eyes flashed over to Aaroniero the chimera that blocked his sword effortlessly with his own weapon that appeared out of nowhere just like Ichigo's. Ichigo never fought against a weapon that looked like a mix between a trident and a yari. Then again he didn't have much experience fighting with a weapon at all and he wasn't exactly the one fighting.

Ichigo tried to yell at Shiro to calm his shit, but just having the body of his uncle protect the vampire scientist that did that to him only made him angrier. It was screwed up how the chimera didn't have a mind of its own and it was protecting the one causing him to suffer and it only helped Shiro get angrier. Ichigo took a breather as he was forced to ride in the backseat and took a mental trip to his inner world. In his inner world the wind was whipping around him like crazy, threatening to throw him off the building he was standing on. It's a good thing he couldn't feel pain in his inner world because knocking him off the building would have killed him.

Ichigo pushed forward and grabbed onto Shiro's shoulder. He didn't budge; the wind only spiraled around him. Ichigo kept on calling out to Shiro, but he wouldn't give him a response as if he was in a trance. For all Ichigo knew he was. He didn't know what effort he was going through to take over Ichigo's body, but all he wanted was for him to stop.

Down the hall footsteps could be heard running at top speed. Were they even footsteps? They were unnaturally fast and each step echoed making a noise that sounded like applause through a stadium. Ichigo suddenly found himself on his butt and looking up at the man's back who was now towering above him. He was thrown away from Aaroniero and pushed behind him so that they were standing at a great distance. Even from inside Ichigo's inner world he still had some awareness of what was going on around him. Part of him was relieved to see the familiar blue hair.

Grimmjow looked behind him with a concerned look as if he was nervous about Ichigo not having control again. At least with Grimmjow there it could buy him some time to try and get Shiro under control, but the whole point of them abducting Ichigo must have been meant to lure him out. Grimmjow was predictable when it came to Ichigo. If he was in trouble he would come running and it seemed that that was Aizen's plan. It was amazing that Grimmjow found him so fast, but if maybe if he hasn't come so fast he would have had more time to scope out the situation.

"Why do you keep bothering Ichigo?" Grimmjow growled. "If you want me then attack me, not him."

Aizen was not put off in the least by Grimmjow showing his teeth to him like a wild animal, he just tutted at him for his inappropriate behavior. "You are very unaware of my plan so I'd like you to refrain from making assumptions."

Ichigo saw Grimmjow's legs shaking in anxiousness like he was resisting the urge to lunge at Aizen's throat and tear it apart, but he held his ground in front of him. It didn't take a genius to realize that Ichigo wasn't exactly in his right mind at the moment. His eyes, posture, and voice was a telltale. Even the energy around him felt different. It was like an aura around him that emphasized just how much he wanted to kill. Grimmjow must have been standing in front of him so he could protect him. He was cautious about Shiro taking actions into his own hands and getting hurt in his body.

"I feel inclined to tell you exactly what my plan was from the beginning since this is where you will meet your end." Aizen said.

This was it, Ichigo thought to himself. This was the cliché villain tells the hero his plans at the final battle. Wait, was this the final battle? Oh shit, if it was then things were not looking good for him right now. He still wasn't ready to fight, he didn't unlock his full power yet, and he was being freaking possessed.

"My plan definitely did revolve around recruiting you at the very beginning. I was planning that while I was still in Japan. I met Ichigo and I knew from the scent of his blood that you would be unable to resist him. I slid a pamphlet under Abarai's door that suggested he come to the abroad program. He wasn't independent enough to go alone so I knew he would drag Ichigo along with him."

If Ichigo was the one in control he would need Shiro to hold him back. That seriously pissed him off. He didn't want his friends to be used as pawns to get to him. It made him feel even guiltier. If he wasn't born the way he was than none of them would be in this mess, but he knew that this wasn't fair to him either so he opted into being angry. Shiro definitely felt Ichigo's anger and it was influencing him just like how Shiro's anger influenced his, but Grimmjow was doing a pretty good job blocking Shiro from acting on that anger. It was a good thing Shiro knew better than to hurt Grimmjow just to get to Aizen.

"Once Ichigo agreed to go on the program with him I just had to pull some strings to make you and Ichigo roommates. You took a little too long to pull the trigger and come on to Ichigo so you needed a little help. I sent you a coupon for a blood hooker knowing that you wouldn't pass that up. She was ordered to only feed you enough to spike your appetite, but not enough to satisfy you. When Ichigo returned you were unable to resist him."

Damn, he thought that far ahead. That was way too dangerous. Aizen counted on Grimmjow being able to pull back fast enough as to not kill him. If vampire bites didn't heal so fast than he may have needed to go to the hospital for blood loss. He got so sick from that and forced himself to go to class the next day.

"After that Ichigo was a valid bargaining chip. I warned you the first time to join, but you refused. I took actions to try to turn Ichigo into a vampire so I could trade him over to you, but you seemed to get to him in time. The third time I was getting a little too frustrated so I gave you one last chance. I was ready to kill you and I still want to kill you right now."

Grimmjow decided to speak for the first time since Aizen started talking. His followers patiently waited for him to finish the story while he dragged on and on even though it was a pretty long plan with a lot of delicate steps. It seriously was the cliché final battle. "Why are you so determined to have me part of your clan if I am not a purebred?"

Aizen tutted again and shook his head in disappointment which only made Grimmjow even more frustrated. "I'm surprised you haven't figured that part out yourself yet. I don't need you sullying my clan. My goal was to weaken the Jaegerjaquez clan. Without you Stark would not be able to fight my clan alone. If you were in my clan then I could have easily killed you and the Jaegerjaquez would have been without a second in command. Stark would be filled with grief and easy to take down then your clan would have fallen apart."

Grimmjow's stomach soured at the thought of Aizen killing his father. No matter what happened Aizen was not planning on allowing him to live. Now more than ever only one of them was going to walk out alive. If you asked him a few months ago he wouldn't have minded the thought of dying too much. Now he had something to live for and it was right behind him and he was ready to shield him with his body.

He hated to admit it, but he needed help. He couldn't calm down Shiro with his back turned to a group of vampires that were ready to kill him. He needed some one on one time with him to make this work. It's a good thing he was buying some time so that his backup could appear in three…two…

* * *

 **A/N: Review and stuff or whatever. I don't know, see you next week if you decide to come back.**


	27. Chapter 27

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 27

Shiro tried to lunge at Aizen again just to be pulled back by Grimmjow. Shiro looked at him with angry eyes, but it seemed that he knew that he was not a target even though he was the one restraining him. He may have been getting anxious, but fighting his allies wasn't the best way to take down the problem in front of them.

Okay maybe Grimmjow's count was a little off. Within the time he was holding Ichigo back Aizen was still talking about his plan. Geez, he can talk forever. Right now he actually doesn't have any resentment towards non-pure blood vampires. It's just that there were plenty of vampires who hated them and he was trying to gain control over them. He wanted to take over all the world's vampires by uniting them under the same flag. As he harped on Grimmjow constantly looked over his shoulder hoping that his backup would appear, but honestly it felt like he's been waiting for seven days.

Seriously, he was just at a meeting that was filled with potential backup that was ready to unite arms and fight back against Aizen, but here he was practically alone. Even Aizen's men seemed like they were getting agitated by how much Aizen was talking about how brilliant his plan was. They've been shifting back and forth for a while and Gin even left for a while and came back with a bottle of cream soda.

Shiro tried to pull his grip free again and even yelled for Grimmjow to let go, and it seemed to make Aizen quiet down and watch what happened next cautiously. He didn't know too much about shinigami, but he has never seen this. Grimmjow didn't know how, but he could feel Ichigo's energy from the body that Shiro was possessing. He was still there and he was trying to get in control so that he could fight for himself. He was resisting the control for the purpose of fighting for himself, something he has desired to do since he discovered his shinigami powers. Shiro was definitely aware of whom he was and that was probably the reason why he wasn't attacking him, but he didn't mind voicing his opinion with him. If Ichigo was allowed to do it then so could he.

Harribel eventually got impatient. Aizen finished talking so it was time to fight, that's how it's supposed to work, right? She took the first step towards Grimmjow, testing the waters and Aizen didn't stop her so she took the initiative and charged forward to attack recklessly. Grimmjow never let go of Shiro, throwing him behind him as he took the hit instead. She may have thrown herself at him recklessly, but her speed made up for the boldness in her attack. The lightning speed punch in the gut was absorbed and he grabbed at her shoulder and threw the female vampire back and kept an arm up defensively to protect the boy being held against his will behind him. He snarled as he guarded the boy's body with his own, having to fight a battle in front of him as well as behind him as Shiro only resisted more after Harribel attacked, not wanting to be the one protected. He cursed up a storm and tried to pry Grimmjow's iron grip off of him.

Grimmjow could tell that he wanted to protect him for Ichigo's sake, but he was seriously becoming problematic. He was in his body after all and even though he didn't know how the whole shinigami thing worked he was pretty sure he had a close relationship with Ichigo and he would be upset if he got hurt too even if he was thrashing behind him right now shouting and cursing saying that he had to do something. He definitely is more capable at fighting then Ichigo, but that didn't mean that Grimmjow was going to let him go just for him to hurt Ichigo's body. That body didn't belong to him and they had a common goal so he should learn how to behave.

* * *

Ichigo was losing his grip on Shiro's arm as the storm only became stronger. Thunder started to erupt above him and the sky became a dark and murky color. He could feel his frustration through him and it was really had a heavy effect on him. He could feel anger brewing up inside of him that didn't belong to his own will. It was amazing how even in his inner world Shiro had that kind of effect on him. He needed to wake him up.

He tried to shake him roughly to get him out of his trance and he could feel his anxiety rise and fall as Grimmjow tried to prevent him from fighting and how even Grimmjow has had enough and started arguing with him. He needed to get back soon so that he doesn't end up causing any more problems for him. He needed to fight just like Shiro wanted, but Shiro is too reckless. He just attacked a group of vampires by himself, pureblooded vampires, pureblooded vampires that was looking to gain even more power than they already had.

"Shiro, SHIRO!" Ichigo called out, but he wouldn't respond, "ZANGETSU!" Ichigo yelled out, shaking his arm violently. That seemed to rip his attention away from his trance for just enough time to come to his senses. Ichigo could feel him slightly lighten his control over his body.

Shiro looked at him with a shell-shocked expression as if he wasn't aware of what he was doing either. He was so focused on what was going on outside of his body to realize the storm erupting above him and how it was potentially damaging them. He looked frustrated, angry, and even a bit scared. He was more scared then he was putting off, but Ichigo could feel it.

Even if he tended to be an arrogant asshole most of the time he was still looking at Ichigo for help and he was ready to follow his guidance. He may have been the one mentoring Ichigo on how to use his powers, but Ichigo was still the boss. "I need you to calm down." Ichigo said trying to reassure him. He placed both hands on Shiro's arms at his sides and held him in place so that he could meet his eyes. "I'm upset too, but we need to fight together if we are going to survive this. You can't just take over and charge into battle and hope that I'm okay letting you do everything."

Shiro looked at him apologetically. Ichigo didn't know Shiro personally for too long, but he has been with him his entire life. The logical side of Ichigo was angry that something that terrible has happened to his uncle, but he knew that Shiro was more concerned about what was going to happen to him. That guy wanted to take Ichigo apart and make Ichigo have the same fate as his uncle, Kaien. As his inner soul and the source of Ichigo's powers he was not going to allow that to happen to him.

"That thing, it's cryin' out." Shiro admitted. "I can hear his cries."

Ichigo cocked his head and tried to listen. He couldn't hear anything. He didn't know what he was listening for, but whatever it was it made Shiro really uncomfortable and it was rubbing off on Ichigo.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked.

"That thing's soul, yer uncle's previous inner soul, he's trapped." Shiro said. "When that asshole took yer uncle apart he trapped the soul there so he could give that thing shinigami powers."

Ichigo listened a little harder, knowing what he was listening for. He slid his hands upward to hold Shiro's shoulders out of instinct. He didn't know where the thought came from to touch his shoulders and to now lay his forehead against his, but he knew what he was doing somehow. He was trying to connect their minds and get a better grasp of what he was hearing, what he is seeing, and how he is feeling. Just from that interaction he could hear a loud cry echo throughout his inner world. It sounded sad and haunting like a whale song. It was heart wrenching and Ichigo now understood why he went berserk.

Ichigo never met his uncle therefore Shiro never had either, but no one deserves a fate like that. Knowing who he was and that he potentially may have played a role in his life if this didn't happen still hurt like hell. Right now his uncle's power was being forced to occupy a body that he had no control over, unable to have authority over his own power with his life force being sapped away from him against his will. If they don't help him not only will he be unable to receive a swift and merciful death, but Shiro will end up just like him. He needed to be a hero this time and if he was going to do that then he needed to be in control of himself.

He was pulled away from the shinigami that he supplied support to, his best friend. "I won't let anything like that happen to you." Ichigo said. "So I need you to trust me."

Shiro looked into Ichigo's unwavering eyes. He felt his uneasiness drop and the storm clouds above him started to brew less intensely. He trusted him and he was ready to give support when he needed.

"Let's save Nejibana." Shiro called out grabbing hold of Ichigo's arm by the elbow and releasing his power into him.

* * *

Ichigo was back in reality. His eyes were no longer discolored, but they definitely looked lighter and held a different kind of fury behind him. His irises seemed to be glowing amber that held fire behind them that resonated power. Ichigo spoke out loud rather than in his head even though he may have looked absolutely batshit crazy for talking to himself. He never looked so powerful before and he must have felt the need to communicate to the one who was making it possible.

"I know you are scared even if you won't admit it, but this time we can't let our fears influence our actions." Ichigo mumbled. "Let's do this, Zangetsu!" He said calling out. A giant sword appeared in his hand. It was the same one he wielded before, but there was an energy running off of it and even though the sword didn't have any physical change there was a malicious aura coming off of it that seemed to want to tear apart the enemies in front of him.

Grimmjow stepped away so that Ichigo could have more space to wreak havoc. Ichigo was back and if he got to close then maybe he will end up getting torn apart from the blade unintentionally even if he did trust Ichigo. Reassurance washed over his face as he watched his boyfriend now stand in front of him ready to fight on his own two feet.

There was a loud crash behind them as a metal plate fell from the ceiling a little too close for comfort. Ichigo and Grimmjow stood ready for the surprise sneak attack, but their stern emotions were quickly replaced with relief when they saw familiar faces look down from above them that belonged to Shinji, Nnoitra, Rukia, and his father.

"It took you long enough to awaken your full power." Shinji said in a loud groan as he jumped down first, landing in between both Ichigo and Grimmjow. "Now show us what you've got kid."

Shinji pulled out his own sword that was more traditional. Nnoitra, who never left his side closed the distance between the two of them and positioned them so that Nnoitra was standing in front of him.

"Oh hell nah. Yer not fightin'. That's my job." Nnoitra said gruffly. "Yer here fer back up and ta set up a protective space or somethin'.

Grimmjow never would have believed it if it wasn't right in front of him. Shinji was pouting, _pouting_ at him. Like he was actually listening to what his tall bastard of a brother was telling him. What kind of relationship formed between the two of them when he left them alone? Shinji was being oddly obedient even if he did have Nnoitra's spell on him. It must have been working incredibly well or something happened between the two of them that Grimmjow didn't know about.

"Fine, I'll do that since you kids don't know how to do that yourself yet." Shinji mumbled while looking accusingly at Ichigo and…Rukia for some reason who jumped down right beside him while Nnoitra was busy being all protective of his new…whatever Shinji was now. They needed to be in a protective space if they wanted the fight to continue. Grimmjow didn't know exactly where he was since he was underground, but there could be people above him that may get hurt if things go out of hand.

Rukia looked a little too distracted to pay any mind to the stab that was taken at her by Shinji. She was more distracted by the zombie-like individual that was standing far ahead of her, "Dad?"

Then something clicked inside of Shinji as he stared at his former roommate and best friend. He had a very solemn expression and it seemed like Nnoitra was able to feel it radiate off of him from the mark that he left on him. Nnoitra's usual cocky expression changed to a more somber one. He couldn't tell what to do or what Shinji was thinking, but it was clear to everyone that Shinji was hurt seeing Kaien like that and Nnoitra didn't know how to handle it since he didn't know too much about Shinji to begin with. They just met that day so he probably didn't know anything about his best friend who went missing.

Seriously, how is that mark more powerful on Shinji then Grimmjow's on Ichigo? They were both shinigami so it shouldn't be that powerful. Did spells work on shinigami after all and Grimmjow is just shitty at using spells? No, he used them and was way better at using them then Nnoitra ever was. None of this was making sense, but he could harp on that later. He was a bit more distracted from what Rukia said.

* * *

"Dad?" Ichigo asked. He repeated the word in his head a few times before he dissected it and defined it over and over again until the word made sense. She called Kaien her dad. That was when a realization hit him like one of that chimera's waves. Ichigo knew that Kaien had a daughter and Szayelaporro also reminded him of that fact. He managed to forget about his long lost cousin with the stress that Aizen was the reason for the shinigami flooding into the world of the living. Kaien may have looked a lot like Ichigo, but he had the same jet black hair as Rukia.

Rukia was Kaien's daughter? His best friend since high school was his daughter? His best friend who he has known since high school who allowed him to cry on her shoulder, who snuck over to his house late at night to talk or play video games is his cousin? What is this? How did this even happen and how has he not realized this sooner. Did she know about this or was he the only one left out again?

Szayelaporro suddenly seemed very interested. "Oh, Aaroniero's daughter returns as a vampire. Now that is an interesting twist." He looked at her smugly. "I'd hate to turn a father against their child. Oh, who am I kidding? This is incredibly fun."

Ichigo looked over at Rukia desperately. Her eyes have lowered after hearing what Szayelaporro said. He had no business to make light of the situation after he killed her father and did the worst thing possible. She looked determined to bring him down and from the look on her face Ichigo believed that she wouldn't stop until he has suffered as much as her father. Maybe she shouldn't be the one to fight Szayelaporro.

"Yeah sorry Ichigo, I was planning on telling you, but I've been working on something myself." Rukia said. Her voice was as cold as the air around her. The temperature seemed to have dropped quite a few degrees to a point where Ichigo could see his breath.

Rukia's dark eyes now turned into an incredibly light blue that was on the verge of being white. A snow white sword appeared in her hand. Ichigo's jaw dropped. Didn't Szayelaporro just say that Kaien's daughter didn't have any power? Now here she was making the entire room feel like Antarctica. How did she master her powers before he did? How long has she known about them?

Ichigo looked over to Grimmjow. He didn't look as shocked by Rukia's powers, but he definitely didn't expect them. Weren't shinigami supposed to smell really good? If that was the case then why didn't Grimmjow notice that she had powers?

"It looks like I was wrong. That's odd. You didn't smell like shinigami the last time I saw you." Szayelaporro admitted. "No matter, a vampire shinigami is way more interesting and after this fight I'll acquire three more shinigami."

Nnoitra pushed Shinji behind him and glared at Szayelaporro. Shinji was in Szayelaporro's ideal body count and there was no way he was going to let him touch him. Shinji just rolled his eyes, but he that didn't exactly hide the small blush on his face. It was a good thing Nnoitra didn't see that.

The chimera, Aaroniero, looked pretty uneasy. Ichigo listened and heard the inner soul's conflicting feelings. It definitely recognizes Rukia and the fact that it realizes that he is being forced to fight his former master's daughter only made him cry out more desperately then before. It wasn't exactly helping Shiro feel at ease even though he was previously feeling better with more allies standing beside them.

"What fight?" An adult with shaggy brown hair that Ichigo has never seen before dropped from the ceiling. Where did he come from? Was he with the other's before or did he just get there? He didn't know who this guy was, but he was hoping someone would clarify. "We haven't done anything yet. We've practically been standing around this entire time. You guys take too long."

Grimmjow shrugged. "Bad guys always wait till the heroes finish talking before fighting." He didn't seem too surprised by this guy coming out of nowhere. He must have done that a lot, whoever he was because no one really regarded him when he joined the group, not even Rukia. Here it was again, Ichigo being left out and not knowing what was going on. The thought things would change after he unleashed his full power, but it seemed that this was still relatively new.

The man just sighed. "Isn't that a bit easy going? Can't we just get this over with so I can go take a nap?"

The man scanned the room then cocked his head when he looked at Ichigo. He looked him up and down before a smile appeared on his face. "Oh, you must be Ichigo." He said in a friendly voice that differed from his bored monotone voice he had before. "I'm Grimmjow's father. It's too bad we have to meet in this fashion. I feel bad that I didn't have the opportunity to talk with you more."

Grimmjow looked from his father to Aizen who just shifted from one foot to the other. For a guy who just called this 'easy going' and that they were taking too long for this fight to start he didn't seem to mind talking to his boyfriend. How hypocritical. Ichigo never had the chance to meet Grimmjow's father, but. He didn't seem to give a damn.

Ichigo wanted to tell him that the entire reason for this fight was probably to try and take down his family, but even if he knew that then Stark probably wouldn't do more than raise an eyebrow to that. Ichigo could tell from a glance that he was strong and him being the leader of the clan that Grimmjow came from was proof enough. Having him around was reassuring.

Stark has been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years and never gotten a battle scar. He's been around so long that he has long forgotten how old he is and he barely has any memory of what he was doing before finding Grimmjow. He only describes his life before the clan by shrugging and calling it 'lonely.' It was clear why Aizen was so afraid of him. He was a force to reckon with and his laidback attitude only showed that this wasn't worth his time, that no one was worth his time.

Grimmjow may be a little annoyed at his father who was now trying to cram an interview with his boyfriend and future life partner, but immediately a smile appeared on his face. If this was the final battle then there was no way they were going to lose. He was surrounded by friends that had his back even through the toughest battles. Yeah, apparently he made friends all he needed to do was fall in love with a shinigami human hybrid for him to learn that being grumpy for over two hundred years was a bit overkill.

"Alright, let's go." Grimmjow announced. "Let's do this for friendship or some other shonen manga shit."

* * *

It wasn't much of a battle cry, but everyone immediately started to fight. Shinji reluctantly agreed to stay behind and make the protected space and was ready to offer support whenever someone needed it. It might have been more strategic to have Ichigo back there too just in case someone needed healing, but with his new found power there was no way of holding him back.

Ichigo was fighting with Szayelaporro deciding that it was a smarter choice for Rukia to fight the chimera. He didn't like Rukia fighting her father, but the pink haired psychopath ordered the chimera to attack her probably because of the entertainment. At least it was better that Ichigo take down Szayelaporro just for the fact that Ichigo wasn't sure what Rukia would do to him if she got to fight him. Revenge was a bit too ugly and he didn't want her to bear that burden. He'll do it for her because that was what friends are for.

Ichigo refused to think of it like revenge, but it also gave him the opportunity to get back at the man that put him through hell back in America. The mark on his back that came from the dart that was fired at him was a constant reminder of what happened to him and how he has almost went into frenzy and devoured Orihime. He never wanted to hurt his friend and she went through something truly terrifying. That's not even mentioning the pain that he has caused Rukia and probably his own father. This man needed to go even if it meant him disappearing forever. He may not be comfortable with the idea of killing someone, but he was sane enough to be the one to take care of it.

The chimera might have had the power to manipulate water just like Rukia's father, but she seemed to have ice powers and was able to freeze the water that he tried to attack her with and her vampire body was way more agile then his sluggish zombie body so he had no chance of keeping up. At first she was a little hesitant to attack her dead father, but after he managed to land a hit on her she realized that that thing was not her father even if he looked like him. He had no feelings of love for her so she needed to put her feelings aside and fulfill her side of the battle.

Nnoitra took on Harribel. She has approached their family multiple times when she was trying to make a clan exclusively for women. She came in the interest of recruiting Nel for her clan. Nnoitra resented her for trying to pull his sister and sparring partner away from him, mostly because he has not beaten her in a fight yet. Nel may have always been stronger than him, but he wanted to prove that he was at least stronger than the woman that wanted to take her away from their family. After Nel turned her down she went back to being a solo vampire and eventually joined Aizen. If she wanted to kill Stark then without a doubt she may be trying to get Nel to join her again. Harribel seemed a bit old fashioned and expected Nel to be old fashioned too. She probably thought that if she can prove that Aizen was stronger than Stark then she would leave the clan and join her by her side.

Grimmjow was on Gin and Gin was more than happy to fight with him. He didn't give a damn about the loss of Tosen he seemed to be more interested in having a good fight that actually offered a challenge. He was happily dodging all of Grimmjow's attacks and didn't really bother throwing his own punches and it only helped in irritating Grimmjow further which lead to his attacks being sloppier. Even if he left himself full of openings with the intention of luring Gin in he never took the bait and continued making the fight not progress any further. Grimmjow couldn't comprehend why he didn't give a damn when he attacked him before to try and prevent him from getting to Ichigo when Tosen abducted him. If anything it looked like he was just stalling for time. What he was stalling for he couldn't tell. Hopefully he was just over thinking things because if he wasn't then things may end up getting messy.

Stark had the most on his plate. He had to take down Aizen. This entire time it didn't seem like Aizen was much of a fighter because he always sent his subordinates to fight for him instead, but he was actually the fiercest fighter of them all. Stark was the strongest so he clearly had the upper hand and Aizen even seemed a little nervous as they bounced around the room from one place to another. It seemed that Aizen had more stamina, but Stark hit harder even if his move seemed pretty sluggish and his limbs were getting a bit stiff.

"I'm pretty sure that you've realized it by now, but by the time you've stepped in here this place was decided to be your final resting place." Aizen said.

"Maybe so, but I will at least hold you off so that the kids will be able to win in the end." Stark grumbled.

"You don't understand. I don't care if my subordinates die. I just want your death." Aizen said throwing another hit that connected to Stark's neck.

"Will you be alive to see me die is the real question." He said throwing a sluggish punch that completely missed.

"I'm pretty sure you've noticed that I released a poisonous gas in the room as soon as you've stepped in here. You know that it doesn't affect vampires rather it's one of the poisons that vampires evolved to survive since hunters used to use it on killing sprees. Too bad you haven't exactly evolved since you are so ancient." Aizen said.

The look on Stark's face didn't waver. He knew from the beginning that Aizen was going to stoop low to try and kill him. That the poison would affect him even though it wouldn't affect the other vampires in the room, but why did he enter the fight knowing that his life would be in danger? The answer was obvious. He told Grimmjow that in a situation where he needed to pick him or Ichigo he told him to save Ichigo. Shinji was out of the room since he put up the protective space and is hanging behind as backup so that meant that everyone in the room was immune to the poison whether they realized its presence or not that is except for Ichigo and himself.

Stark kept on stealing glances at the human-shinigami hybrid. He looked energetic probably because of the adrenaline of finally being able to fight with his full power and the aura wrapping around him from his sword may have been doing something about the poison unintentionally, but he doubted it. He was the one exposed to it the longest and his fears were confirmed when Ichigo started to cough and wheeze.

* * *

Ichigo collapsed and fell to the ground as blood started to come out of his mouth. Ichigo's eyes were swimming. He hasn't realized how lightheaded he was until his vision blacked out for a second and he found himself on the floor. He thought he was only getting lightheaded because he was getting tired and his power was taking a toll on him. He had Szayelaporro on the ropes too. Now the pink haired vampire towered above him. He seemed pretty self-satisfied that he was able to hold off long enough for the poison to kick in.

Grimmjow immediately noticed Ichigo fall and he was quickly to his side switching his target from Gin to Szayelaporro in a heartbeat. It didn't seem that Gin minded as much as he shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Grimmjow defend his fallen boyfriend.

Ichigo struggled to stand up and a bit of power flashed through his eyes as he noticed Grimmjow fighting above him to protect him yet again. He crawled on his stomach and while the pink haired vampire was preoccupied with his new opponent he sliced at his feet. The blade carved at his ankles and imbedded itself in bone. The blade started to viciously drink the blood of the vampire as if it were quenching a thirst. The vampire tried to free himself from the blade, but blade's invisible aura wrapped around him and held him in place as it sucked out his blood.

The previously invisible aura around the blade started to turn red and Ichigo pulled it away. He had a look on his face like he knew what he was doing, like his inner soul was feeding ideas into his head of what to do now while Grimmjow just watched in astonishment. With all of Ichigo's remaining strength he pulled himself to his knees, using the blade as leverage and sliced the air with the blade. The red aura cut through the air and sliced Szayelaporro to shreds before turning him to sand. What was that power? He used his opponent's blood as a weapon. It was like Grimmjow's Gran Rey Cero, but for that power Grimmjow had to use his own blood. It didn't compare to the power of Ichigo's vampiric blade. This would explain why his inner soul was so blood thirsty. This was his power. His powers revolved around body manipulation, whether it was his, his allies, or his opponents.

Ichigo collapsed again and he started to heave as blood dribbled out of his mouth and down his chin. Grimmjow got on his knees immediately as he inspected Ichigo. The life drained from his burning amber eyes and his eyelids slid over them. His skin felt like he was left in the sun for too long as he broke out into a fever that came out of nowhere. There was no way his power could have done that. Shiro would have wanted to protect Ichigo so there was no way he would let him do something so reckless.

He didn't have a lot of time to realize that his life was in danger. He looked up to see that Aizen was bolting to him with a wooden stake in his hand. He didn't know where he got that from, but he knew that if he or Ichigo got hit with that then they would be over. He wasn't going to allow Ichigo to get hurt anymore. It may have been wood, but a stake could still kill a person especially if they are in the same shape as Ichigo. He needed to get him to safety.

He picked up Ichigo and was about to run, but Aizen was faster. He swiped at him a few times and missed him barely as he tried to make it to where Shinji was so that he could let them out of the protected space, but if Aizen was so close there was no doubt that he will be able to escape it too. He needed to gain some distance. Ichigo couldn't stay here for much longer. If he did then he might not make it.

Aizen was right in front of him again and despite his fierce actions he still looked smug as if he was able to predict what happened next. His next attack was aimed at the boy in Grimmjow's arms. Grimmjow knew that he couldn't dodge it in time so he tried to close over Ichigo to defend him, exposing his back to Aizen where he could stab him even if it meant his death he wouldn't let Aizen get Ichigo.

He was expecting his life to end, but his death never came. He looked up to see his father standing right in front of him holding onto Aizen's wrist with the wooden stake poking at his skin, threatening to plunge into his heart.

"Dad!" Grimmjow cried out noticing the position he was in. He was ready to jump in and kick Aizen away from his father even if the sudden jolt may hurt Ichigo a little more

"Don't." Stark yelled trying to push Aizen's wrist away from his heart, but his wrist insisted on trying to plunge the piece of wood into him. "I told you that if there was a time for you to pick between me and your lover then you need to pick them. You two were made for each other and he's once in a lifetime. Get him out of here."

Grimmjow wanted to refuse. He wanted to tell his father that even though Ichigo was once in a life time he only had one father. He may have had one way in the past, but he was dead now and he couldn't even remember his face. He couldn't bear lose someone he has spent his entire life with, but to his horror his father started to cough just like Ichigo did. He continued to try and push Aizen away, but it was clear that he was reaching his limit and Aizen was easily able to fight him in this weakened state.

"I'm sorry son. I love you." Stark said before releasing his grip on Aizen's wrist and allowing the wood to plunge into his heart.

* * *

 **A/N: Three more chapters to go. Review, favorite, and follow to prevent this story falling into the "N** **o man's land." Also hearing from you guys makes me incredibly happy.**


	28. Chapter 28

Congratulations, you guys made it through another week of me torturing you. Have another chapter.

* * *

Chapter 28

Grimmjow's heart dropped to his feet as he watched his father crumble into sand just like any other vampire. He was now indistinguishable from any other who has fallen and if anyone saw that pile of sand they wouldn't be able to tell that it was once a great vampire, clan leader, and an even better father. He just looked like any other pile of sand that needed to be swept outside because it was making the floor dirty.

Grimmjow's stomach was turning and he kept on blinking to make sure that what he was seeing was real, that this wasn't some fucked up dream that kept replaying in his head. Every time he opened his eyes the sand was still there scattering across the floor with a smug asshole standing above it wiggling his feet into the sand just to prove that he won and he saw himself superior and above the great Stark.

If Grimmjow had time he would have cried out to his father and take all his rage out on the one who now wielded a wooden stake and a self-satisfied look on his face, but he needed to listen to his father's final request. Instead of attacking Aizen who just looked plain sadistic with an evil fire in his eyes and an insane, bone chilling smile, he just ran past him to try and get to Shinji.

"Holy shit," Shinji nearly shouted when he saw Ichigo. He was guarding the exit making sure no one who they didn't want to escape got out. He mostly stood guard there just to appease Nnoitra and avoid his wrath. Apparently he was a lot more obedient than Ichigo ever was even though he didn't seem like the type. Nnoitra would have gotten seriously pissed if Shinji joined he fight and ended up getting hurt. The entire room would have become a blood bath. What kind of relationship did they even have? I didn't matter right now. Grimmjow's main concern was Ichigo.

"Get us out!" Grimmjow roared. He didn't mean to sound so angry, but with Ichigo laying in his arms motionless and his father's death his mind was in a whirlwind of emotions. It was taking everything within his power to not put Ichigo down in front of Shinji and march back into the battle field to rip out Aizen's jugular.

Shinji knew what to do before Grimmjow yelled at him rudely. He motioning his hands to make a doorway out of the space, but for some reason one didn't form. He tried to do it again, and again, his movements becoming more panicked as he tried to break through the space. "I can't get us out. Something is blocking me from opening the space."

Shinji motioned to the fight going on between the enraged chimera that didn't seem too pleased that his master has eroded away and Rukia who looked dismal at the thought that by appearance her father looked more upset that his master died and was taking it out on his daughter that he didn't recognize. "He must be the one blocking me. Kaien was amazing at trapping people in protective spaces and it looks like that thing has an idea on how to do the same thing. It's gonna take some time for me to break through it."

"We don't have time." Grimmjow roared motioning to Ichigo who was lying still in his arms, losing any sign of life.

Shinji cursed and looked up to the ceiling. "Isshin forgive me for what I'm about to suggest." He said as if Isshin could actually hear him. For all Grimmjow knew he could, he didn't know how shinigami worked. "Grimmjow, I think it is time for you to turn Ichigo."

Grimmjow was taken aback. His heart was racing at the thought of having to do this now without Ichigo's consent. He wanted to do it under different circumstances, the circumstances being to do it in the comfort of his own home, his father being alive, and Ichigo being awake. It looked like that wasn't possible anymore though. His dad is dead and Ichigo was about to follow him and from the looks of it he was close, too close like he won't even be able to survive the vampire venom.

"It's too dangerous." Grimmjow growled glaring harsh daggers at Shinji. Shinji doesn't deserve to have his anger taken out on him, but Grimmjow wasn't exactly good at hiding his emotions and he was overwhelmed. He brought Ichigo closer to his chest as if having him closer would protect him and hopefully bring down the fever that has erupted like Mount Vesuvius. "What if he doesn't make it?"

Shinji grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, something that he wanted to do for quite some time. "He is definitely not going to make it if you don't change him now, dammit."

Grimmjow blinked as if clearing his eyesight would help clear his head and think of a better alternative, but he couldn't find one so he had no choice, but to try Shinji's idea. He quickly bent over and laid Ichigo on the floor below him. Grimmjow didn't believe in gods (except for shinigami apparently) for as long as he could remember, but he prayed to every god that was believed to be real by man before kneeling forward, kissing Ichigo on the lips hoping that that he would be able to kiss him while he was conscious in the future, and bit down on his neck.

* * *

Ichigo was lying down on the glass of a building with Shiro right beside him panting like a dog that just ran away from the pound. His stomach rose and fell in short breaths, quickly bringing air into his lungs and he could feel an incredibly aggressive fever even from inside his inner world. The sun beat down on them aggressively. The world may have been sideways, but someone needed to tell the sun that because it seemed to follow them just so it could broil them under the light and lying on top of glass was only making him hotter, but he didn't even have the strength to move from its scorching heat.

He wasn't supposed to feel pain in his inner world, but his real body was experiencing so much pain that just came out of nowhere that even in his mind he felt everything. At least he won't burn from the sun or the glass, but getting burned was the least of his concerns.

"How many times have we been in a near death situation?" Asked Ichigo to the soul that laid beside him that looked like he was in no better shape then Ichigo.

"Lost count," Shiro admitted. "Fer all you know this may be da las' time."

Ichigo groaned rolling on his side to face Shiro who looked at him quizzically. "If it is then it has been an honor fighting beside you."

Shiro looked at him and rolled his eyes at the corny line that just came from the orange haired shinigami's mouth before his expression changed to one of concern in an instant as Ichigo started to wail out in pain.

The only time one feels this much pain in their inner world is if they are close to death. Ichigo crying out may be proof that this really was the end even if it felt like they were sitting there baking for days. Time was weird there, but it looked like their wait in purgatory was over.

"That bastard," Ichigo huffed out. "Trying to turn me without my permission."

Shiro looked at him with an odd expression until he realized what was going on. The world flipped to his side as they fell endlessly to the ground that didn't seem to be getting any closer.

"Don' resist it. It may be yer last chance."

* * *

Usually when people are in the first stage of vampirism they have spasms or act like they are in a great amount of pain. It showed that their body was able to sustain it and try to fight it off, but Ichigo just laid still. Grimmjow was practically rocking back and forth on his feet mumbling that he couldn't lose him too. Shinji was observing Ichigo for any sign of movement.

"Fuck it, move on to stage two." Shinji ordered causing Grimmjow's eyes to grow in response to Shinji's reckless orders.

"It might be dangerous if he doesn't show any sign of resistance." Grimmjow argued even though he knew that taking the first step was risky in itself. It reminded him of the state he was in when Stark turned him all those years ago. He was in a better state than Ichigo then even though he was covered in third degree burns. At least he had spasms and showed signs that it was working and that his body was trying to resist the venom.

"Dude, this whole thing is dangerous." Shinji fought. "He won't drink your blood in that state so you're gonna have to feed him the old fashioned way."

Grimmjow hesitated, but followed the older shinigami's commands. He bit his lip and let a good amount of blood soak his lip before he pressed them against Ichigo and pried his lips open with his tongue. After he was sure Ichigo was able to take a good amount of blood he pulled away and hoped to see any sign of life.

Ichigo was still for far too long. It was almost long enough for Grimmjow to break down and cry or go on a rampage, whatever came first, he's been through a lot already, but before he could he rested his hand on Ichigo's chest and felt it rise. He was alive. If that was the case then he must be going through the changes and he will wake up in a day or two or something, he didn't care as long as he woke up. He would wait an eternity for Ichigo to wake up. Thank whatever gods out there that Ichigo was right when he said that he would still be able to change him.

"He's okay? That's great." Shinji breathed out a sigh of relief. "Hold on a little while longer. I almost got this protective space open so you can get him out of here."

* * *

The fight was a bit chaotic and it was beginning to run long. Nnoitra was starting to lose steam when fighting Harribel who looked like she wasn't even taking the fight seriously. Aizen finished stroking his large ego and decided that it was time for him to start hunting the one that has ran off. He looked down the hallway where he knew Grimmjow has gone with Ichigo in his arms. All he needed to do was kill off Grimmjow and the Jaegerjaquez clan would collapse and he should probably kill Ichigo off for good measure. That boy himself seemed to have made it his goal to get in the way of everything. It looked like he couldn't stop him this time though and he made an excellent pawn that deserved a merciful death.

He may have lost his scientist to him, but he was ready to lose that pawn even if it was a big loss. His purpose was finished anyway. Harribel will soon be able to claim Nelliel from the Jaegerjaquez clan by force if she had to. It seems she has fallen in love with her so it was clear that she was going to betray Aizen in hopes of finally getting to start her all female clan with her. If that was the case then she was probably going to be the next to die. He can't have any followers that betray him nor any followers sniffing around mutts like Nelliel. He had an image that he needed to withhold. If he didn't have that image then he would lose the followers that are flocking to his side.

His clan was expansive and he needed to start recruiting some stronger subordinates. Excluding Harribel who was bound to betray him his only strong subordinate was Gin. Gin was strong despite being unpredictable and free willed. The only reason Aizen kept him around was because he felt like he could still use him, but many times he just disappears without announcing where he was going. For example, right now. He was fighting with Grimmjow a moment ago, but when he ran off he didn't pursue him and then when Aizen took his eyes off of him for a second he was gone.

If Aizen didn't decide that it was time to kill Grimmjow then he would have been more frustrated and if he wasn't so cocky then he may have predicted what was going to happen next.

From the back of the room even more troops filed in. It was too bad that they weren't his own. Szayelaporro's chimera was meant to keep the protective space from opening, but it looked like that blond shinigami was able to pry it open or one of the people from the outside that was now starting to block every exit. There were some familiar faces that one would expect to see such as the Hitsugaya boy and the woman that always accompanied him. Then there was a face that he didn't recognize like a shinigami with dark hair and stubble that may have opened the space blocking them out. There were faces that shouldn't have been there like Nelliel and that pale, newest addition to the Jaegerjaquez family. Then there were some faces that he didn't expect to see like that hunter boy, and the very well-known Kisuke Urahara all being led by his supposed subordinate.

Gin approached him nonchalantly as if there was nothing to be worried about and he wasn't in danger of getting his head ripped off or a wooden stake in his heart. As he stood in front of Aizen his grin only became larger and threatened to tear open his face. "Sorry, but this is payback for taking out the Ukitake clan. What, you don't think I would have known that you were the reason my clan died out?"

The death of the Ukitake clan was one of those mysteries that are just written off as unfortunate events. A hostile hunter guild find a very well hidden and cautious clan and they are all murdered while Gin was gone. Forensic science observed by a very famous supernatural scientist, Mayuri Kurotsuchi showed that there were abnormalities in the remains of the fallen vampires which were discovered by Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto. Rangiku was there the day the hunters came in and she was able to escape to the Hitsugaya clan. Gin returned to a destroyed home with no family or friends and had to leave, living alone on the streets. It was too dangerous for him and he was soon taken in by Aizen where he investigated the truth behind his clan's destruction from suspicions that he originally had.

"I knew you would find out, but I assumed that you were smart enough to do as you were told and not go behind my back. You haven't made any moves for the four years that you've stood by my side."

Gin shrugged, "I know a thing or two about going behind someone's back. Like this." Gin said shoving a wooden stake into Aizen's back. Aizen cringed at the unpleasant feeling of wood enter his system, but instead of turning into sand like he was supposed to he remained there with only blood dripping down his back.

"You see my dear friends, Aizen here has had some experiments performed on him and it makes him a bit more difficult to kill." Gin explained. "I would introduce you to the man who has done this, but he is now that pile of sand there. He was torn apart by your lovely Ichigo."

Toshiro observed the pile of sand that spread across the floor that was originally Szayelaporro. He shifted his hands through the remains and saw some oddly colored chunks of what seemed like rocks or some kind of gems hidden inside. He must have been hard to kill, but whatever Ichigo did to kill him must have been brutal, probably more brutal then the procedure to make them resistant to wood.

"I knew Kurosaki was like you, Urahara, but the last time I saw him he wouldn't be able to pull something like this off." Toshiro commented.

"I have faith in my son." The man that Aizen didn't recognize said hinting that that man was probably Ichigo's father. "Now will you excuse me for a second? I need to go help out my niece." He said before approaching the fight going on between the short vampire/shinigami girl and Aaroniero.

She looked at him from the solid block of ice that Aaroniero was now trapped in. He walked over menacingly and simply flicked his fingers. From that simple movement the ice shattered and chunks of the frozen chimera exploded, bouncing off the walls. Just from that simple movement one of Aizen's forces was destroyed. There was no way he could get out of this.

Aizen eyed a chunk of ice that slid by his feet that contained part of Aaroniero's brain. If he didn't know it before then he knew now. This was game over. The plan he spent years upon years working on was now crushed.

* * *

Ichigo woke up a week after the fight with Aizen. Everything ached yet he has never felt so alive. He pulled out the IV that was attached to his right arm and was connected to a bag of blood with complete disregard of why it was there in the first place. He was disappointed to see that he was the sole occupant of the bed. The last time he was knocked out for a long period of time Grimmjow never left his side even when Renji came to visit him. He's never been so close to death and Grimmjow left him to lye alone and there wasn't even Renji or Rukia sitting next to him for when he woke up. He was irritate, more irritated then he should be. Seriously, why was he so irritated?

Ichigo replayed the events of the last thing he could remember. He killed Szayelaporro with his new found power. He never killed anything but bugs during his lifetime, but he killed a vampire. He was hurt when he killed him though. He didn't know how he got hurt, but his lungs felt like they were on fire and then he woke up in his inner world and then…Oh shit.

Ichigo got up immediately, his vision spun only for a brief moment as he stood to his full height. He shouldn't be this physically able after sleeping for a full week. He shouldn't if he was human at least. Ichigo ripped the IV bag off of the stand and unscrewed the top. He brought the bag to his lips and started to down the contents. It didn't taste good, but it tasted a lot better than it was supposed to and he started to feel even better than he did before. His aches were going away and he felt like he could just run a marathon without training and not even break a sweat.

His feeling of irritation went away and he felt so much stronger, insanely strong, like it shouldn't be possible. He felt like he could lift a car. He gazed around the room. His senses were so much stronger. He didn't know a vampire's senses were this strong, but now he is experiencing it firsthand. He couldn't believe that's what Grimmjow felt all the time. Right now it was euphoric.

He could make out small details and imperfections on the furniture. He could hear movement of people outside of the room shuffling around the hallways. He could smell Grimmjow's shampoo, and it was close.

Ichigo followed the smell and found him sprawled out on one of the sofas face down. Ichigo's heart sank when he saw him. From the small movements that he made Ichigo could immediately tell that Grimmjow was upset and he was probably lying there longer than what was healthy. Knowing Grimmjow he should know that he was awake now, but he just didn't want to move even if it meant greeting him. He didn't know what was bothering him, but he knew it was his job to do something about it.

"Grimmjow, are you okay?" Ichigo asked hesitantly.

Grimmjow moaned and wrapped his arm around Ichigo's waist bringing him closer. It looked like he was happy to see Ichigo awake. "I feel a little better now that you are up." He admitted. "I just miss my dad."

Ichigo's body stiffened. From the way Grimmjow said that he could tell that whatever happened to his father it wasn't good and he could make a safe assumption about what happened during that fight to make him this devastated. He probably wasn't awake for that part, but he could tell by the way Grimmjow gripped him that it could only mean that one thing.

"I'm the new clan leader, but I can't even bring myself to leave this room." Grimmjow said in a quiet voice.

Ichigo was never very good at consoling mourning friends, but he could have taken a page out of Rukia's book for when he cried on the anniversary of his mother's death, but instead he decided to do what Renji would probably do if he was in his place.

Ichigo kneeled down and pulled a surprised Grimmjow over his shoulder. Ichigo's shoulders were not as broad as Grimmjow's so he needed to offer a lot of support to the vampire that was now slumped over his shoulder and threatened to slip off. Grimmjow would have thrashed and tried to break free if it was anyone else, but this was the first time Ichigo has ever done something like this and he was afraid that if he tried to kick around he would end up hurting him.

Grimmjow was a lot lighter than Ichigo would have imagined, but that was probably because of his new found strength and the fact that Grimmjow was being oddly cooperative. He didn't wiggle around or vocally protest. He just seemed surprised and was probably curious about what was going to happen next. "Hold on, you don't know how to control your strength yet." Grimmjow protested while Ichigo struggled to open the door with one hand without letting Grimmjow slip before placing Grimmjow on his feet outside of his room and closed the door behind him, using his body as a wall to prevent him from going back in to hide.

"There, step one is done. Leave your room." Ichigo said with a proud yet reassuring smile on his face.

Grimmjow didn't look amused by Ichigo's actions even if he knew that Ichigo was doing that for his own good. He returned Ichigo's proud expression with an expression that just seemed dead. He wasn't going to put up a front in front of Ichigo like he might have used to. He didn't have it in him and Ichigo deserved more respect than that. He was happy to see him awake, incredibly happy, but losing someone he has spent 200 years of his life with was draining him of all joy.

In any other circumstance he would be excited to see Ichigo as a vampire and paying so much attention to him, but with the death of his father his entire clan didn't feel the same and nothing felt right. The place felt lonely even though his father had very small presence in the household. There was still movement that could be heard around the house of his clan members passing every now and then and greeting Grimmjow as the new clan leader, but nothing felt real.

The first person to walk by him was Ulquiorra. He greeted Grimmjow with expressionless eyes and bowed slightly to him just like how he used to with Stark. He never paid Grimmjow respect despite him being his senior, but now it seemed like Ulquiorra viewed him differently and it only reminded Grimmjow about what happened and that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"It's good to see you out," Ulquiorra said "and it's good to see you awake." He said regarding Ichigo. The way he said it made it seem like he didn't actually care, but Ichigo never really spent time with the guy nor has he even met him formally so he didn't really have any idea how to read him.

Grimmjow mumbled something that Ichigo couldn't make out even with his now incredible hearing. It looked like he was going to turn around and sulk back to his room, but Ichigo blocked him by pressing his back against the door.

"I was about to come get you." Ulquiorra continued. "It's regarding the final decision for Aizen's punishment."

"I can't believe the hunters still haven't found a way to kill him." Grimmjow growled.

"That's what I came to talk to you about." Ulquiorra said. "You see, they have a theory."

Grimmjow looked at him and waited for him to continue while Ichigo shifted from one foot to the other, not really sure if he was allowed to be hearing this.

"Aizen has undergone the same procedure as Szayelaporro therefore he can be killed by the same method as him." Ulquiorra said. "If I've heard correctly then he was killed with a blade of his own blood that was made by your mate. It is theorized that the only way to kill them is for having them in some way kill themselves."

Grimmjow's jaw tightened and looked over at Ichigo who looked just as shocked as he did. Ichigo never hurt someone with the purpose of killing them. He killed Szayelaporro, but he did it out of self-defense. He still didn't even know how he felt about it. He knew that he had to and killing Szayelaporro did a great service for the vampire community, if not, the world. Yet here he was being told that he may be the key to killing Aizen. If the hunters have been trying to kill Aizen then they must have him captured. He no longer posed a threat. Was there really a purpose of killing Aizen if they already had him restrained? It would be the equivalent of sentencing him to the death penalty.

"I was informed that you are required to go to a meeting as the head of the Jaegerjaquez clan to decide what is going to happen next." Ulquiorra's eyes then fixed onto Ichigo's and Ichigo felt his body turn cold. "The hunters would also like for you to attend."

Ulquiorra exchanged some more details with Grimmjow before he silently walked away. Grimmjow turned around and placed his forehead on Ichigo's shoulder and sighed.

"I don't wanna go to that meeting." Grimmjow said. "It's gonna be nothing but hunters deciding what we are going to do with Aizen."

Ichigo looked down at his unmoving position and patted his back. He could tell that that wasn't really the reason. After finally spending enough time with him he was finally able to figure out when he is being truthful or lying. He sounded truthful, but it looked like he was trying to convince himself more that that was the reason why he didn't want go.

"Are you sure it's not just because your dad isn't going to be there?" Ichigo questioned.

Grimmjow sighed again. It looked like he hit the nail on the head. Grimmjow has attended meetings like that before even though they were rare since Stark tended to steer clear of all that vampire politic stuff. Though when Grimmjow was with him he always felt like Stark had some kind of control even though he acted like he couldn't care less about what was being said or what decisions were being made.

"Yeah, maybe a little," Grimmjow said. "I always knew that I would be leading the clan one day because my dad was starting to get tired of it. I didn't expect that I'd become clan leader because of his death."

Ichigo cocked his head to the side when he felt a sudden cold wind. "Umm, Grimmjow," Ichigo questioned as his eyes wandered to movement that was coming up the stairs, "You said that your dad was dead, but isn't he right there?"

Grimmjow growled. Ichigo never seen him direct his anger at him like that, but he just did. It made sense since it wasn't exactly funny to joke around with someone that his supposedly dead father was right there standing in front of him waiting to speak with him. "Don't joke about shit like that." He said trying not to blow up at him, but Ichigo could still feel the heat resonating off of him.

"No, he's literally right there." Ichigo said pulling Grimmjow away from him and turning him around so that he could see.

"I don't see anything." Grimmjow said clicking his tongue, clearly losing his patients that was pretty thin to begin with.

Ichigo was puzzled, but Grimmjow seemed like he really couldn't see him. Wait, has he officially gone crazy? Did that vampire venom do something to his head or was he tripping balls on the drugs that they might have given him while he was asleep? No, that wasn't it. He's only seen Grimmjow's father for a second so his subconscious mind wouldn't have memorized every little detail about him, but that was definitely him.

Stark shook his head and decided to say something to reassure Ichigo as if he could read his mind. "You're the only one who can see me, shinigami." Stark said. "I came all this way just to deliver my final message."

* * *

 **A/N: We are almost at the end. To prevent this story from being forgotten forever remember to follow, favorite, and review. If you have gotten this far in the story I hope you are enjoying it and look forward to next chapter.**


	29. Chapter 29

We are almost at the end. Sorry for the rough ride till this point. Here is the second to last chapter and the longest chapter I have posted so far.

* * *

Chapter 29

Ichigo didn't know how to approach the situation. He never had to play the spiritual medium before mostly because he never needed to. He never really wondered what it would be like to see ghosts or how to relay a loved one's final messages. Was this a normal thing people wonder about? Since he was a kid he never really wondered what it would be like to have powers since he never had them, but now that he had them he didn't fully know what to make of it. The only thing he could really think to do was try to explain the situation and then improv.

"Umm Grimmjow, you probably don't believe me, but I can see your dad." Ichigo said. "I guess I can see ghosts because I'm a shinigami."

Grimmjow's expression changed from skeptical to hopeful in a matter of seconds. He was incredibly irritable for the past few days, but something drew him in to believing Ichigo. He was Ichigo, his boyfriend; he wouldn't lie about something like this, right? It would make logical sense for shinigami to see spirits anyway since they are the ones guiding them to the afterlife and if Ichigo could see his father then that would be a good thing right?

Stark nodded to Ichigo reassuringly before he started to speak. "Listen, can you tell Grimmjow that I believe in him and I know that he is able to lead this clan to great things?"

Ichigo relayed the message awkwardly looking between Stark and Grimmjow to check if he was doing this right. He didn't know what these sessions usually looked like, but he thought he was doing a good job or at least average. Neither of them protested so far.

"He can do a lot better than I can as a leader. He was always the one that wanted to expand the clan's size and gain power even though I only desired a family. I think he learned from you that family and friendship should come before power. If he focuses purely on power then he may end up like Aizen." Stark said.

As Ichigo communicated between the two as they talked back and forth. Ichigo learned that Stark was aware that he was going to die the moment he stepped into that room and he has long excepted his fate since he trusted Grimmjow to take his place. Grimmjow hung his head and stared at his feet as he talked like he was trying to hide his sadness from his proud father. It was a heartwarming event and the most Ichigo was ever able to speak to Grimmjow's dad since he never had a proper conversation with him.

Their conversation was interrupted by a strong power that felt like it echoed throughout the manor. The power was strong and eerie and it made Ichigo's skin crawl like nails on a chalkboard. He could tell that the power belonged to a shinigami and whoever it was, he was irritated.

The shinigami was clearly a strong one and Ichigo remembered that he was told him that a vampire soul was harder to carry to the afterlife so a stronger shinigami probably came to collect Stark. Either that or they didn't give up and started to search for him and the other shinigami escapees again and they tracked him down in Germany somehow. They must know about Urahara's powers since they were the ones that benefited from them while he was still there and he didn't know what method's they used to track them down.

They heard the door slam open and Stark cursed in annoyance. "Dammit, he found me."

Ichigo wanted to question him, but he heard pounding coming up the door and he swallowed the lump in his throat that he didn't know was there when he recognized familiar spiked hair and the large figure it was attached to.

Zaraki didn't look amused as he looked at the lazy vampire ghost that seemed to have given him a hard time, how else would he be here a week after his death? Then he looked over at Ichigo and Grimmjow and just snorted.

"Fuck, it really is a small world. I wish I brought subordinates because it looks like I am bringing in more than just my assignment." Zaraki said through a devilish grin that made Ichigo's skin crawl. "Not that taking in you will be any more difficult."

Grimmjow stood protectively in front of him. He looked over to where he assumed his father was. It looked like he had to follow his orders again. He needed to protect Ichigo instead of his father even after death.

"That vampire really gave me a hard time. He sure is a slippery one, but that's what I would expect from the former leader of the Jaegerjaquez clan." Zaraki said.

Ichigo's eyes grew. Shinigami knew about the different clans in the vampire world? That must mean that they have some knowledge of what was going on in the living world in regards to whatever was going on. He didn't know if he was able to reason with them, but he had to try.

Ichigo pushed Grimmjow aside and walked over to the giant shinigami for some reason unshaken. Grimmjow protested, but Ichigo brushed him off. He could take care of himself. He kept his head up, making eye contact with the shinigami that nearly brought him into the other world a little over a week ago as he approached him before stopping in front of him leaving himself completely in the open and off guard.

"If you knew what was going on then you should know that the Aizen threat is gone." Ichigo said knowingly. He couldn't tell where the new found confidence came from, but he was glad it was there just for the fact that it kept him from stuttering. Maybe it came from the fact that he was a vampire and he felt a hundred times more powerful than he was before or maybe it was because he has awakened his shinigami powers.

He may not have been awake for long and he didn't really have a lot of time to learn the facts which is never a good thing, but for some reason he could tell by the calm atmosphere of the manor that there weren't really any problems and no one felt threatened. "The vampire death rate will drop so there is no need to continue hunting down shinigami in the mortal world."

Kenpachi raised an eyebrow at the oddly confident Ichigo. "That may be true, but that doesn't change the fact that shinigami escaped Central 46 and we need to bring them in for punishment and we need to put you to work."

Ichigo shook his head and Grimmjow was about ready to shove Ichigo aside again and fight the shinigami again even though he knew that winning was futile against an opponent like that. He was ready to throw himself in head first again if it meant protecting Ichigo. He was ready to do anything to change his mind about taking Ichigo to the other side long before he was ready. He finally turned him into a vampire and was excited to start his life with him and everything. Now that he had a final conversation with his dad he felt no regrets.

Ichigo looked unconcerned. He looked a lot more adult than Grimmjow has ever seen him. He didn't show the fear on his face even though he knew that it he was truly shaken to the core. He really was brave and it made Grimmjow happy that he was the one he chose. Ichigo would be a good leader if Grimmjow didn't know what to do. He knew how to deal with problems and put on a brave face. He worked more with logic than just pure emotion like Grimmjow and if Ichigo gets hotheaded he can real him in.

"What can I say that'll make you leave us alone?" Ichigo asked.

Zaraki scratched his head. He was buying into his confidence and Grimmjow saw that this guy may have been more reasonable then he let on. It seemed like shinigami were more humanlike than he originally believed. It was unfair of him to label them as demons who wanted to take Ichigo away from him. Now he can properly label them as people who want to take Ichigo away.

"The higher-ups will probably unravel their panties if the Aizen threat was properly taken care of. He may be imprisoned, but that doesn't mean he is dead." Zaraki explained. "That and if I can just do my fucking job and get this asshole to the afterlife."

Stark shrugged with a bored expression on his face. "Fine, I did what I wanted to do. All I wanted was to properly meet the man my son wanted to marry."

Ichigo blushed madly as he realized that it was true that Stark never really had the chance to judge him as worthy of his son. He hoped he did a good job in proving himself, but he never properly met Grimmjow's father nor knew what he was thinking. Zaraki barked in laughter at the flush on the man that was just negotiating with him in pure confidence.

"Well, I never heard that before." He snickered.

Ichigo coughed and tried to bring back his serious expression. "We are having a meeting to decide what to do with Aizen. If it will help your higher ups decide whether or not to keep searching for us then they could come."

Ichigo didn't know if it was in his jurisdiction to suggest that kind of thing, but he knew Grimmjow definitely had the power to do that and he could get him to go along with that…probably. Also he should have the power to make requests since according to Ulquiorra the vampires' only lead on how to kill Aizen is to have him kill him. He didn't look very happy with the suggestion, but no one would be happy if a bunch of shinigami went to a meeting where all of the shinigami that escaped would most likely attend. If the higher-ups from the institution didn't agree with their terms they could attack and try to take them all at once. Ichigo didn't know how that fight would look, but it would probably be more deadly than the fight with Aizen, but it was a risk that he needed to take.

Zaraki grunted in approval and grabbed a hold of Stark's shoulder. "Okay, I'll take it. I shouldn't be a fucking messenger, but if there is a way I can stop chasing around weaklings like you then I'll do what I can."

A door opened up behind him that they recognized as the Heaven's door, the door that lead to the afterlife where Ichigo was nearly taken against his will. Grimmjow gripped onto Ichigo's shoulder protectively as if he was afraid that the power coming from the door would somehow suck Ichigo in. Ichigo just watched Zaraki's back turn toward him as he lead Grimmjow's father through the door and disappear.

When Zaraki was gone he gave Ichigo a dirty look that read that he was angry with what he requested. "Do you really think it would be okay to invite shinigami to a meeting between vampires and hunters?"

Ichigo shrugged. "If shinigami are attending in the first place than I don't see the harm in a few more. If they can award me and the others our freedom then I'm taking that chance."

* * *

The hunters' meeting hall was a lot larger than Stark's conference room. It looked like a lecture hall and every seat was filled with hunters and vampires that chatted making the room sound like chaos. Ichigo couldn't recognize anyone in a glance and it seemed that Zaraki, though reluctant agreed to get the message across to Central 46. There were people standing in the very back that Ichigo recognized where shinigami. Even though they looked very human he could tell who they were and that they were powerful, about as powerful as Zaraki and having so many people there around his level made Ichigo shiver. Everything relied on the outcome of this meeting.

There were VIP seats in the front. Ichigo was tempted to hide somewhere off to the side, away from both the front and the shinigami inspecting the meeting, but Grimmjow pulled him over to the front where one of the VIP tags had Ichigo's name written on it.

Grimmjow sat next to him disregarding the tag that had his name on it. Soon all the seats alongside him were filled as well. Next to him were people who were also involved in the final fight like Shinji, Nnoitra, and Rukia. Then there were people that he didn't expect to see, his father, Uryu, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto, and that fox like vampire, Gin.

He heard the details about what happened during the fight from Ulquiorra and he couldn't believe it himself. There was no way he could have guessed that Gin was a double agent working for Urahara. He led the others to him and they were the ones that restrained Aizen and delivered him to the hunting agency. What was more amazing was the fact that Ulquiorra had a personality…sorta. Ichigo didn't fully understand what happened after Aizen was taken into custody. There was more investigating and Aizen was found guilty. Then they tried to kill Aizen, but whatever they did to try to kill him didn't work.

One seat remained unfilled and Ichigo wasn't surprised to see who it belonged to. It had Urahara written on the tag and a small cartoon drawing of him. Ichigo imagined what was going to happen next and it seemed that Urahara was once again going through the dramatic entrance approach.

He didn't have a lot of time to wonder where he was when a guy walked through the front of the meeting hall with white hair and thin framed glasses. Ichigo's first instincts were to think that that guy looked like Uryu and the way Uryu looked away and closed his fists they must have been related in some way and their relationship might not have been friendly. He looked too young to be his father, but as if his own father read his mind he whispered who he was into Ichigo's ear. Yes, apparently that guy was Uryu's father and he was also the charge of most of the branches in the hunting agency.

The guy introduced himself as Ryuken Ishida and it seemed that his father wasn't just pulling his leg. Uryu had the same last name as him, but now that he thought about it 'Ishida' was a strange name that he heard before. Yeah, he heard it during the program, but he knew he heard it someplace else.

He heard Shinji talk about some guy named Soken Ishida who formed an alliance between hunters and vampires. No, that wasn't it, well yeah, that was part of it, but not all of it. Ichigo thought back. He heard that name in the past too, way in the past. He thought he heard his mom talk on the phone with a man named Ishida late in the night. He's seen her do it multiple times and it concerned Ichigo since he was still a kid, but his father was in the room too sometimes which only seemed to confuse him further.

Ryuken explained what Aizen was being held accounted for and how the investigations were going with the rest of the clan and the branches. They were figuring out which branches were behind the homicides and which branches were clueless. Very few were found guilty while some were found as being used to gain land and others were meant to be killed later. If the Jaegerjaquez clan were to have formed an alliance with Aizen then his clan would probably be in the latter category.

Ryuken questioned the people who were there in the fight and both Toshiro and Gin had written reports prepared for the meetings of their findings and what they know. Ichigo never felt so out of place when the man turned to him and started to interview him. He even asked questions about what has happened to him starting from his experience even before he left to go to the program in America. Aizen's plan to take out the Jaegerjaquez clan started before he even knew Grimmjow after all.

When Ichigo was about finished explaining everything from what he experienced. Urahara poofed into his seat and he pretended that he was there the entire time. Ryuken didn't seem all that amused by Urahara's nonchalance, but it seemed Urahara found it hysterical. Ryuken and Urahara must have had some kind of familiarity to each other which would only make sense with Urahara having his hands in everything.

"I ran some tests on Szayelaporro's remains and it seemed that my hypothesis was right." Urahara explained. "It seems that this meeting could be wrapped up very easily."

Urahara stood up and presented himself as if he were taking over the meeting. Ryuken, who was running the meeting was not exactly ecstatic that Urahara made it his right to take over, but he let the powerful shinigami man take the stage despite his wishes.

"If Szayelaporro ran the same tests on Aizen and made him unable to kill by simple methods than there is only one way we know how to kill Aizen." Urahara walked up to Ichigo and Ichigo's blood stilled in his veins. "Ichigo, your power is the only one we know of that can kill Aizen and with that there is one more problem. After Szayelaporro died we could not find his spirit. It seemed that his experiments had destroyed any chances of him becoming one therefore unable to enter the afterlife. " Urahara said gently. He knew that Ichigo wouldn't want to hear that. He knew that a huge responsibility was being thrown at Ichigo and he knew that Ichigo was never a big fan of killing to begin with. He always wanted to be a doctor, to heal, but now they are asking for a huge request to be filled.

There was muttering from all over the meeting hall and someone shouted at Ichigo to demonstrate his power, but Ichigo ignored the shouts and lowered his head. Grimmjow had enough and shouted an order for everyone to shut up not that it was working with his voice being drowned out by the chattering audience. He held onto Ichigo's hand as the large decision was thrown at him.

"Is there any other way to solve this problem?" Ichigo asked softly. "I don't want to kill him. He's restrained, he can't hurt anyone now. Is there a way we can solve this problem without death?"

There was more muttering and Ichigo heard the word "traitor" a few more times than he would have liked to have the audience interrupted again by Grimmjow. Ichigo could feel the energy from the back of the room that he knew belonged to the shinigami. They were getting agitated and it was very obvious what they want the results to look like.

The muttering continued to echo through the halls even with Grimmjow's attempts to shut everyone up. The only thing that distracted everyone was a beautiful dark skinned woman making her way up to the front of the room with a sway in her walk that caught everyone's eye as she strutted towards Urahara.

Urahara had a large grin on his face, larger than any grin Ichigo has ever seen on him as the woman grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. Ichigo instantly recognized her as a shinigami and he realized that Urahara must have known her for him to act that giddy.

"We can't expect to force a child to go against his morals and kill the criminal." She demanded with a powerful voice to the entire crowd. Ryuken didn't seem to know who this woman was and he looked plenty annoyed, but it looked like the meeting was out of his hands for quite some time. He's given up. Anyone can do what they want and it seemed that this woman was taking advantage of that. She and Urahara seemed very similar, but at least she looked like her head was in the right place.

"This child only just recently learned the existence of the supernatural and has been unfairly thrusted into this lifestyle." She said. Ichigo doesn't know how she knew so much about him, but he was kind of grateful to her. He made a note to thank her later no matter how intimidating she was. "There are other methods of getting rid of Aizen."

The hall started muttering again and the energy level that came from the shinigami didn't decrease in the least. This woman was risking her neck for him, but she didn't seem swayed in the least. Her confidence was inspirational.

"I remember a long time ago you used to bury vampires that were too much trouble. They were trapped without food and it was essentially torture. I believe that this punishment is way more fitting than death at the hands of a child.

A hunter that Ichigo didn't recognize stood up and protested not minding how some eyes were now on him. "What if a follower of Aizen comes and tries to free Aizen?"

Urahara was next to talk, flipping open his fan and walked closer to the front. "The burial ground will be heavily guarded just like in the past and there will be heavy consequences to anyone who attempts to free him."

The dark skinned woman nodded in agreement, "and if anyone manages to free Aizen then that is when we resort to forcing the child to kill him."

There were more questions rising up here and there, but one stood out and grabbed the attention of the rest of the hall. "What if the child dies and Aizen escapes?" Everyone was muttering the same question and it was starting to feel like Ichigo was an ant under a magnifying glass. All eyes were on him and he was the center of attention.

"The boy will be well protected." The dark woman said looking at Grimmjow. "This boy is mated with the head of the Jaegerjaquez clan. He has already turned into a vampire and is very powerful in his own regards. He isn't under much risk and if he does die he will still be a shinigami that is able to kill him."

Ichigo felt Grimmjow's hand tighten on his own and energy level that came from the shinigami started to lighten. The muttering seemed positive as the hunters and other vampires in the room came to a conclusion. Even if they too aren't completely understanding of the existence of shinigami they trusted the words of this unknown woman. The plan was turning more positive and more arguments erupted to change the minds of people who still wanted Aizen to die.

"Have we come to a consensus?" Ryuken exclaimed, grabbing a hold of everyone's attention as he reclaimed the meeting. "If that is the case then Aizen will be buried in a location that very few will know about. This concludes the meeting and I will speak with Urahara about the details.

The meeting hall emptied out except for a few stragglers that stayed behind to talk with others. Those stragglers also included the shinigami who were discussing the judgment that sealed Aizen's fate. The dark skinned woman that never introduced herself rejoined them and discussed what they were planning to do next.

Ryuken and Urahara left so they could discuss where Aizen was going to be buried. Shuuhei found Uryu and waved to Ichigo. Ichigo stared in awe at him. He had no idea that he was there since he just only became a hunter even if he was supposedly Uryu's student. Rukia left momentarily to speak with her brother before returning to Ichigo so they could finally have that talk that has been postponed by Ichigo's coma.

"Hey, cousin," Rukia joked. It still felt so weird to think about and even weirder to hear out loud. The two of them were related by blood and they've been best friends for years. He kept thinking back to one of the best summers in his life where she visited every day to play video games, read his comics, or just talk. Then there was the time she consoled him during the anniversary of his mother's death. He was shocked to learn that she was a vampire for all the years that he has known her and now there was this. How did he not learn this until now? "I think you want to hear my story."

* * *

Ichigo knew plenty about what Rukia's life was like before she was adopted into a noble family. He knew that her mother was sickly and died during child birth. He knew that she and Renji had a history before Ichigo met her and he knew all of her embarrassing obsessions. The past few months he learned more about Rukia then he ever imagined. He now knew that the noble family that adopted her was actually a very famous vampire clan, she was engaged to Renji, and now she was his cousin and had shinigami powers just like him. Apparently that part was pretty new to her as well even though she was able to get a grasp on her powers faster than he could.

Around the time Ichigo landed back in Japan Shinji paid her a visit. He told her everything he knew about her father Kaien and in turn, Ichigo's father Isshin. It was ground breaking and the next night she started to hear a silent, gentle voice in her head that came from her own inner soul. That night she dreamed that she was on an arctic mountain and she met her inner soul, Sode no Shirayuki.

It was pretty frustrating that she got had a lot easier time getting to know her own inner soul than Ichigo. Rukia told him apparently the stronger the shinigami's power the more stubborn the soul. Her inner soul was a little cold and only talked with her if she initiated the conversation, but the fact that she made herself known after years of lying dormant meant that something was coming.

From Ichigo's experience it seemed that he was put into the shinigami life on hard mode since his inner soul was a rebellious dick that refused to tell him what his powers were and made Ichigo figure them out himself. His powers were incredible and he never thought that body manipulation could be a power. It sounded dark and scary like it was a power that belonged to a villain. That unrelenting force power involved the ability to push a body back. His power wasn't wind like he originally thought even though apparently he inherited some of his father's power which focused on controlling wind. The time slowing down and his change of fighting style was a form of self enhancement. Time didn't actually slow down and his body wasn't actually lighter, he just preserved it that way. He was just manipulating his own body to make it stronger. His healing power was kind of obvious; it increases cell reproduction and allows wounds to heal faster and it was apparently an entirely different power than his body stitching power that involved reattaching nerves. Zangetsu told him that he was able to pull apart nerves just as easily, but he never wanted to be in a position where he needed to do that. Then there was his final power that he uncovered. That weird blood bending ability, his sword ate away hungrily at his opponent and was able to manipulate the blood that it took and made his sword stronger. He was even able to manipulate the blood like Kaien with water. He must have inherited that somehow from his uncle just like how he inherited some power from his father.

Rukia demonstrated her power to Renji and Renji knew from that moment that he wasn't the one that was supposed to help Ichigo in the fight against Aizen, but her. Rukia trained while she was with Renji and was able to get some kind of hold on her power since it was pretty easy to understand. She never mastered her power, but it was enough to help fight.

Her power focused on ice and she couldn't help but draw parallels to her father who had the power to manipulate water. Maybe if he was still alive he would be able to help her master her own powers. There was no point in thinking like that, but she couldn't stop herself.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia's conversation was interrupted by the beautiful dark skinned shinigami. She greeted him with a smile and Ichigo immediately felt his skin go hot. Grimmjow looked over at him a little jealous even though he knew the reason why Ichigo was embarrassed wasn't because he liked her, but more for the fact that he didn't know how to speak to her since she knew so much about him, but he knew nothing about her.

The woman took Ichigo by the wrist and led him away from Rukia. Rukia didn't protest since it seemed that she was put under the same spell as Ichigo. How could someone not be affected by her confidence and power? She examined him before giving him a big hug. "Isshin said a long time ago that if he had a son he would name him Ichigo. It looks like his dream came true." Ichigo didn't know what to do in this situation. Does he hug back? He doesn't know her. All he could do was remain stiff as his mind went blank with his face red as he felt her large chest against his.

"My name is Yoruichi." She said realizing that it was probably weird for a grown adult to hug a stranger on their first meeting. "You may have heard of me…probably not now that I think about the idiots who have been looking after you. Seriously, you only just learned about your shinigami powers there is no way you have heard any stories about me."

She wasn't far off. Shinji mentioned her name once, but it wasn't so memorable that Ichigo remembered it right away. The shinigami runaways really did do a good job of leaving him in the dark. She was the woman that destroyed Urahara's invention that let shinigami go in and out of the afterlife undetected. Wasn't he also Urahara's girlfriend, or ex? He didn't know where they would stand after nearly 200 years of being separated.

"I'm the person that feeds Urahara insider information on what is going on in Central 46." Yoruichi explained. "Yes, he and I still have contact. It's very strange how recent your world created cellphones. Urahara invented those 300 years ago and they work between the living world and the afterlife." She said waving around something that looked like a black box.

Ichigo was still lost of what to say so his father ended up saving him. He saw Yoruichi and his son talking off to the side so he went over and greeted her. She welcomed Isshin with a hug equally large as the one she crushed Ichigo with and started chatting about how impressed she was from feeling Ichigo's power.

"I just came over here to tell you that you guys no longer need to worry about Central 46 coming after you." She said. She turned on the black box that she was holding and a hologram came out that was full of text. "Urahara does good work. He reports about the hunter and vampire movement and keeps peace between them. Central 46 is grateful for his work since you know how they love sticking their nose in business it doesn't belong. Then there is the fact that your son is the only one able to kill Aizen so that makes him untouchable."

Yoruichi patted both of their backs. "You two are officially free... for now. Be sure to give all your gratitude to Urahara later for saving your butts." She said running off to find the said butt saver. It seemed that things are starting to turn out nicely. The energy that came from the shinigami in the room has been decreasing steadily with them leaving.

* * *

Ichigo thought that he would finally be able to leave with Grimmjow, but his path was soon interrupted by the hunter that was leading the meeting. Ichigo thought this guy was just going to tell him where the decided upon burial ground was going to be, but he was wrong.

The man gave him a semi disgusted face and Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow for backup, but all Grimmjow did was shrug. He didn't know what to make of the dirty look, but he couldn't afford to make him upset. The man was known for not liking vampires despite being the branch leader for the hunter association that focused on the alliance between vampires and hunters. Was he looking at Ichigo that way because he was a vampire? No, he has been talking with other vampires, but he did not give them a face that looked like that.

His father came into the rescue by half stepping in front of him to greet Ryuken. "Hey old friend, long time no see." Isshin said with a big goofy grin on his face. "You seem upset for some reason."

Ryuken huffed. "I'm just amazed that the son of Masaki decided to become a vampire even though he would have made a much better hunter."

Isshin laughed and rubbed his head while Ichigo's mouth hung semi open. Should he be surprised by anything anymore? Did his mom have some big secret too? Was nothing in his life sacred? "You knew my mom?"

Ryuken raised his eyebrow. "You really don't know anything do you? Your mother was a hunter she was actually my arranged fiancée, but I fell in love with Uryu's mother and Masaki fell in love with your father. She had strong magic running in her bloodline which is why you would have made an excellent hunter. It upset my father, Soken a bit since he was very fond of her, but he was on the same team as love so he allowed it."

Magic in his bloodline? He thought about that time Harribel tried to kill Izuru and he asked Uryu if he can be a hunter. Grimmjow protested saying that he didn't want Ichigo to fight, but if he did let him become a hunter would that have been for the better? He didn't know what it meant to have strong magic in his bloodline, but apparently it was a good thing that was desired by hunters. He didn't know what to say so he asked for more information.

"Your father didn't tell you that either?" Ryuken asked sending another glare Isshin's way who was doing his best job to look innocent. He looked a lot like Shinji when he was acting like that. The hunter sighed and decided to explain it for him. "You could have used magic weapons like this." He said showing off his bracelet with a cross on it. Ichigo remembered seeing Uryu wear something like that. That could turn into a weapon? That would have been so cool. "You would have also been able to naturally resist vampire spells and incredible longevity even though it wouldn't have meant a lot to you since you were also a shinigami."

Wait, the magic in his blood was the thing that made Ichigo resist Grimmjow's and any other vampire spells that he's come across? He was curious why Nnoitra was able to put spells on Shinji yet Grimmjow couldn't place any on him. Was this why? Him being a shinigami had no relation to him resisting spells? Did Zangetsu lie to him? Heck did he ever say that Ichigo could resist the spells in the first place because he was a shinigami? Was his life full of lies built on top of even more lies? No. We do not have time to go into this. This is going to be a question in Ichigo's life that is going to remain unanswered. He was done. He was tired of this. He can reopen this can of worms in a hundred years or something, but for now he wanted to remain in the bliss that came from being unaware of anything. It was nice having that until this year. It was nice living thinking that he was just a normal human that was learning how to become a doctor. Let's try and relive that, but this time he was a vampire-shinigami hybrid. He was going to pretend that he didn't hear anything about how his mother was a hunter…okay that was disrespectful. Fine, she was a hunter, but he did not inherit any of the magic that she apparently had. Let's hope that if Yuzu and Karin start showing any signs of that they keep it far away from him.

He didn't even say goodbye he just walked over to Grimmjow who was trying to ignore Nnoitra flirting with Shinji. Seriously, Shinji actually looked like he was talking about something important for once and he seemed to be getting more and more frustrated by Nnoitra's advances. Did nothing change during the week Ichigo has been out of commission? What was their relationship?

He grabbed Grimmjow by the hand and started to lead him to the exit. Grimmjow looked at him puzzled, but he almost laughed at the definition of unamusment on Ichigo's face even though he had no idea where it came from. "What's wrong, Ichi?" He asked not bothering to force his grin back.

"I'm tired. Can we just go home?" Ichigo asked.

Grimmjow tilted his head to the side then looked around. He didn't really have any purpose to be here anymore. He finished what he needed to and talked to everyone about what was going to happen next. He had a long day too that was full of mourning. He felt a million times better after exchanging his final words with his dad and actually having the chance to introduce him and Ichigo even though he didn't expect it to look the way it did. He was still happy with it and he felt so much more at peace. After this meeting he also realized that he was capable of taking care of his clan by himself. He may have needed the support from Ichigo, but he was confident. Everything felt fine and nothing would make him happier at this moment then to spend some one on one time with Ichigo.

"Sure. What do you wanna do?" Grimmjow asked. His mind immediately went to a dirty place. He didn't have the chance to do any of that with Ichigo since he woke up and now that he was a vampire he could go all out without any fear of hurting him. He wanted to make his love clear and demonstrate just how happy he was that Ichigo was there for him, sticking to him when he was going through a rough time and helping him stay sane every step of the way. He didn't know if Ichigo was thinking the same thing that he was, but he wanted to do something with him even if he was just able to hold him.

As if Ichigo was reading his mind he turned away bright red before he laughed. This was what he got himself into when he decided that he wasn't going to leave Grimmjow. Even though they went through thick and thin to get to this point he knew that he made the right decision in the end no matter how much he embarrassed him with his teasing or over protectiveness. He meant well…most of the time. He made the right choice going with him without any fear of what was going to come next. Bad things might have happened, but that was life. They worked hard to reach a happily ever after. "I'll tell you what. You can do whatever you want to me when we get home." Ichigo said before he turned even brighter as he quickly corrected himself, "within reason."

* * *

 **A/N: This is the second to last chance to share some love on this story by leaving a review. Next week is the finale so share some of your opinions so that I can move on to it in peace.**


	30. Chapter 30

This is the final chapter. Thank you so much for reaching this point whether you followed this story every week or read this from the far future. I hope this story has been satisfying and an enjoyable experience and you didn't feel burdened for picking up my story.

* * *

Chapter 30

The past few months were the most stressed Ichigo has ever been. He wasn't aware that he would be the one doing everything to help plan the wedding. He had to deal with the location, flowers, seating, and finding a minister that was able to marry vampires. Who knew that there was an entirely different process for supernatural marriages? He was so preoccupied that he barely had any time for himself and much less to spend with Grimmjow.

It was all worth it because he got the best view in the house for seeing Rukia walk down the aisle in a beautiful white dress. It was so surreal to him that this moment was actually happening. Even though he was with them for over a year while they planned the event before everything fell through and he had to take care of everything within the next few months. He made a vow that when he gets married he is not going to the venue that dropped his best friends because they suddenly decided that they no longer catered to the supernatural. There was going to be a court case about that later that will probably end up with the hunters tearing that place apart.

At least before that all happened they picked out a dress. He was dragged along for when Rukia went shopping for that 'say yes to the dress' moment. He wasn't a big fan of the stereotype of the gay guy being one of the people to drag along to go shopping, but he didn't mind helping Rukia pick out a dress. She needed the moral support and he was one of the only people who knew how to deal with her melt downs that came with getting married. It was especially helpful since he knew the kind of idiot she was marrying.

He didn't mind helping his friends even though it cost him a lot of time with his own relationship, but the one thing he did mind was when Rukia and Renji fought over whether Ichigo was going to be Rukia's maid of honor or Renji's best man. When the fight came up Ichigo thought it was a joke. He was sorely mistaken. The fight didn't last too long because it ended with Ichigo noping the situation and saying that not only did he know Renji longer, but he didn't have to wear a dress. He then learned later that Rukia wasn't even planning to put him in a dress and it was incredibly weird that he even assumed that she would have forced him in one. He was practically red as a tomato when she joked about it later with Renji saying something along the lines of "Ichigo's hips don't lie and he would look great, but I still want to be the center of attention at my own wedding." In the end Tatuki became her maid of honor and she ended up being forced to wear a dress.

Orihime helped Rukia convince her and for some reason Tatsuki had a harder time saying no to her. Orihime ended up meeting Rukia when she visited Uryu while he was helping Renji with the wedding plans. Who knew that Uryu was really into wedding design, and sewing, and cooking? He was more helpful taking care of Ichigo's mental breakdowns from helping with the wedding then he was when he was injured and almost turned forcibly during the abroad program way back and that was saying something. The abroad program was over a year ago, but it felt like ancient history by now. He didn't cater the entire wedding, but he did know how to make great comfort food that wasn't overly fattening for the battles that they had that came with wedding planning.

Uryu's talent was especially helpful since Orihime is such a clumsy girl who always ripped her clothes and a terrible cook. He finally had the guts to confess to Orihime which shocked her because for some reason she always assumed that he was gay. That wasn't really the best conversation, but luckily for her Uryu still liked her after she admitted that. She would seriously be lost without him. If there were a contest for being ditsy then she would win and trip on the stairs when she goes on stage to retrieve her reward.

Rukia and Orihime became fast friends and Tatsuki became even faster friends. Tatsuki was always a good caretaker and since Orihime was so hopeless that tough mothering side of her really came out. Ichigo never really has the chance to see that side of Tatsuki so Orihime meeting her was such a shock for him. It looked like Orihime needed even more help then what just Uryu could handle and Ichigo was grateful that Orihime was one less stressor that he needed to worry about.

Ichigo still stayed in touch with Izuru and Shuuhei. Apparently they are living together. They were the kind of roommates you'd expect to see in a sitcom. Their bromance was something to be desired by others, but Ichigo and Renji were convinced that theirs was still stronger. Shuuhei kept the fact that he was a hunter for half of the year they were living together a secret. The way Izuru found out was so cliché. Since Shuuhei was the messy roommate Izuru decided to clean his room for him. When he was putting his laundry away he found Shuuhei's weapon collection in the back of the closet. He thought he was an assassin of so kind and when Shuuhei explained his job as a hunter it only became more confusing. They were able to get through it together once Shuuhei spilled the beans about Renji and Ichigo being vampires and then later revealing that the abroad program where they met was actually a hotspot for vampire recruiting and all that shit. He especially didn't mind sharing with his roommate that he was actually attacked by a vampire, but he didn't remember because he was in a coma. It wasn't cool that Shuuhei spilled such a big secret, but the excessive apologies and bountiful gifts made it really hard to not accept his apologies and except that the secret needed to be spilled or his best friend would have reported him to the police.

Harribel confessed to Nel while she was being hunted down by hunters that were searching for the remains of the Aizen clan that were especially destructive. She was always crafty and was great at getting out of tough situations. She escaped just so she could confess her love to Nel. Too bad Nel wasn't really fond of girls who tried to kill Ichigo and her brothers. It was a good argument. Nel gave her the courtesy to not call the hunters and tell them her location though. Very few people know about that story and Ichigo was glad to be one of them though he wished that he apologizing to Izuru was part of the story. The poor guy's memory was jotted about the event and he will never receive the closure of her lowering her head to him and admitting that what she did was wrong.

Yoruichi now visits the living world as much as possible. It was easy with her new job of keeping an eye on Urahara and obtaining the information he had. Apparently Central 46 didn't know about Urahara's little invention that worked as a cellphone that functioned between worlds. Her job could have totally been done digitally, but they didn't need to know that. Their relationship sparked new fires and was in full swing again despite it technically being long distance. It didn't feel long distance since she was always there. She has taken a liking to making Ichigo embarrassed and he made it a point to keep him far away from Grimmjow so that they won't double team on him.

It started to feel like there were more shinigami in Ichigo's life. Take for example Shinji. Shinji entered Ichigo's life a little over a year ago and now he basically sees him every day in the manor. Ever since he went to the Jaegerjaquez over a year ago he never left. Ichigo at least had the decency to leave so he could get his stuff and properly start living with Grimmjow in Germany, but Shinji never properly moved in or out. He and Nnoitra were surprisingly hitting it off despite Shinji being so against him originally. They were always on top of each other and they acted way more like a clingy couple than Ichigo and Grimmjow ever was. Too this day Nnoitra's vulgarness catches him off guard and Shinji does a very poor job of stopping him. Ichigo to this day does not understand how their relationship kicked off. All he does know is that he was completely fine not knowing, better than fine. He can make quite a few guesses just from how vulgar and open Nnoitra was.

His father did a better job raising Yuzu and Karin in the end. He explained everything that happened. He told them that Ichigo was turned into a vampire and warned them about him having to leave and move to Germany. It was hard packing his stuff with Yuzu pulling at his shirt demanding that he spend more time with his siblings. At least now they knew that they would develop powers and they were oddly more accepting to the idea of gaining powers and the existence of vampires than Ichigo was. Maybe they will end up becoming hunters because of the magic that ran through their blood…nope he still wasn't ready to revisit that, happy thoughts, Renji and Rukia's wedding. He was not planning on any more self-discovering journeys about discovering more about his bloodline. He was too preoccupied at the moment.

Ichigo watched the ceremony go on right next to Renji. He's never seen him so happy and Rukia's eyes sparkled with tears of happiness. Even Rukia's brother who always seemed to have a stick so far up his butt that it reached his stomach seemed happy. The ceremony went off without any embarrassing hiccups that can later be turned into a cringey YouTube video.

The party took place after and as soon as Ichigo stepped foot into the dinner hall he found a blue haired vampire practically on top of him groaning as he buried his face into the crook of Ichigo's neck.

"Ugh, the reception was so long." Grimmjow complained. "It's like this is the first time I've been able to touch you all day."

He wasn't wrong. Before the wedding took place he was running around helping to get things ready. In fact Grimmjow's touch was something that he has been craving way longer than a day. He felt like he hasn't felt Grimmjow's warmth in over a week. If wedding are always that disorganized and stressful then he was leaving Rukia to deal with his as payback. Just today two people were assigned to sit in the same seat so they needed to make new arrangements, the flower order got messed up so he needed to go and request different ones on the spot, and the freaking photographer got drunk. He felt like he got an ulcer before the ceremony even started. Grimmjow's hug did have some kind of miracle affect that made him that seemed to cure that ulcer that was growing inside of him.

"Also when we get married can we have less people?" Grimmjow complained. "It's going to take forever to get food."

Ichigo shook his head. "When we get married? You haven't even properly proposed yet." Ichigo joked. "Also if you ever did get the balls to propose our wedding would most likely be the same size since we formed alliances with the Hitsugaya and the Kuchiki clans. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they are pretty large families."

They looked over at Gin who seemed to have been drunk already trying to do some kind of dance on the table with Nnoitra. Shinji had to pull Nnoitra back on the seat and Gin's new wife, Rangiku practically had to pin him to the floor. Toshiro was nowhere to be seen. He was probably hiding somewhere so that his family wouldn't embarrass him. Grimmjow gave up on that a long time ago. No matter what his family would always find a way to get under his skin. That's their job.

Gin was a piece of work. He was crafty, but there were situations like this. It took over a year to hear the entire story from his mouth about what he went through when working for Aizen. Apparently the clan he was a part of before, the Ukitake clan was staged to have been wiped out by an aggressive hunter guild, "The Silver Arms Guild." He was actually at the same abroad program, but in a different term five years ago. He thought that he was the sole survivor. He was an independent vampire for a while, which is incredibly dangerous with a hunter guild searching for survivors. Aizen took him in and kept him a secret in an interest to keep him as a spy since he wasn't put on the watch list and was considered even less of a treat with his clan being wiped out. Gin did some investigating and found that Aizen set up the attack on his clan and the reason why his strong clan leader was wiped out was because he was poisoned by the same toxin they turned to gas when they took Stark out. Ukitake was like Stark, an ancient vampire that never adapted to the poison. Aizen had a habit of using the same trick twice once he knew that it worked the first time.

He was doing some self-destructive planning to try and put a dent in Aizen's plans before Urahara found him and made use of him. Gin didn't mind being used especially after he learned that not everything was lost since his childhood friend made it out alive and was now taking refuge with the Hitsugaya clan. Little did he know that because of Urahara's plan he would live and be able to marry the woman who has escaped to the clan.

"That's true." Grimmjow said. "Back in the olden days people used to send only a few members to represent the entire family, but now if the family gets an invitation everyone wants to come."

Grimmjow met the Hitsugaya clan when they came to the rescue unintentionally back at the abroad program. He knew about them before, but never really had a relationship with them. He actually knew the Ukitake clan a lot better since Stark was good friends with their leader since they were both so laid back. Grimmjow was genuinely surprised to see that Gin was alive after hearing his clan was wiped out. Now they are relieved that both he and Rangiku are doing well.

After Gin revealed himself to be a mole in the Aizen clan the Hitsugaya clan welcomed him with open arms. He confessed that he didn't know that Rangiku was alive when he joined that Aizen clan. Urahara was the one that found him first and he became a mole for him. He said that if he knew that Rangiku was alive he probably never would have done something so risky.

Ichigo shrugged. "Who can say no to a bar with unlimited drinks?"

Grimmjow and he laughed a bit, and Ichigo promised that he'll be back by his side once he made his toasts. As tradition he had to make a toast for the bride so it was going to be easy to toast his best friend and supposed cousin. Yeah, he was going to rip into her and embarrass the hell out of her since he knew that she will do the same thing later on.

* * *

Wasn't it the bride and groom's job to get constantly pulled away from having the chance to eat? Ichigo was constantly getting hauled around from random people that would ask him intruding questions about his personal life. They kept asking when he was getting married or how he and Grimmjow were doing as he sifted through the crowd of people trying to find the familiar head of blue hair, but it seemed that everyone else found him first. He didn't even recognize half the people that pulled him away. They must have been Renji's extended family or people that he has met a long time ago, but weren't significant enough to remember. By the time he finally got to Grimmjow he was already so tired of being there that he was ready to leave. He ate very little, but he didn't care. A bunch of people investigating his personal life by asking a bunch of private questions had that effect. He could take whatever hell he was going to receive from Renji and Rukia later for leaving first, but from the looks of them they seemed to be doing fine since they are able to eat and talk with their close friends rather than extended family. It felt like he was the one getting pulled around instead of them. If he leaves they'll probably be swarmed since it seemed that he was the one distracting the more nosy guests at the party. He felt guilty for one second before saying 'screw it'; it was their wedding night they can deal with the problems. He's done all he could, but his batteries were running out and he needed alone time with the one guy they have been questioning him about.

Grimmjow didn't feel any need to protest when Ichigo leaned over his back and wrapped his arms around his neck, whispering that he wanted to escape. They withdrew from the dining hall where the party was taking place using the good old fashioned Irish goodbye. Grimmjow lead them to an elevator and hit the up button which caught Ichigo by surprise. They were in Japan and the original plan was for them to spend another night in his father's house since he never tore apart Ichigo's old bedroom. They spent the last few nights there so Ichigo had no idea that Grimmjow went behind his back and reserved a room in the hotel where the venue was held.

Grimmjow lead Ichigo to a suite at the end of the hall. He didn't know why he picked a suite, but Ichigo wasn't going to question anything that Grimmjow did anymore. He had money to throw around so if he decided to spend it on a suite for one night then so be it. The only problem was that it was getting hard to not question him when he opened the door to see that the king size bed was covered in rose peddles and every piece of furniture that wasn't the bed filled with lit candles. Some of them were strawberry scented which only made Ichigo roll his eyes at Grimmjow for attacking that cheap joke again. When did he have time to do this? Did Grimmjow sneak out during the party to set this up? How is the fire alarm not going off?

Ichigo was about to voice the questions that were bouncing around in his head, but he didn't have time to open his mouth before he was tackled onto the bed. Grimmjow's lips were on his and Grimmjow ground his erection into Ichigo's pelvis. How long was that there and how has he not noticed it until now?

"I was saving this for later tonight, but I couldn't wait anymore." Grimmjow growled, nipping at Ichigo's lips. "I missed you."

Ichigo looked confused for a second before he grabbed hold of Grimmjow and flipped their positions looking down at him triumphantly. He started to work on Grimmjow's button up shirt and Grimmjow held an evil grin on his face as he pulled Ichigo's head down so that he was able to reach his neck. The service was over and they already left the party. He was finally allowed to mark Ichigo again after weeks of Ichigo stopping him since he didn't want bruises to show up in their wedding photos even though he was well aware that they would probably disappear way before a camera was pointed at him. Ichigo still wasn't used to the idea that he was a vampire and he healed faster than he normally would.

Ichigo moaned and extended his neck to give Grimmjow more access so that he could ravish him as much as he desired. Grimmjow littered his neck with soft kisses before biting down leaving a mark. A small amount of blood leaked down, but Ichigo didn't mind in the least. He was way more focused on ripping Grimmjow's shirt free of his torso. He unbuttoned a few of Ichigo's top buttons so that he could explore even further while Ichigo now roamed his bare chest tracing his fingers over every muscle. Grimmjow thrusted his hips further into Ichigo's own growing erection so that he could get as much friction as possible to his member, but Ichigo just continued teasing him until he couldn't take it anymore.

Grimmjow flipped their positions again and quickly made away with Ichigo's own shirt. He then found his way to his nipple. He grabbed hold of it with his mouth and bit down lightly causing Ichigo to gasp and he reached to tangle his fingers into his hair. Grimmjow liked the sound that spilled out of Ichigo's mouth so he started to pinch his other as he sucked on Ichigo's pink buds before letting go of him.

Even this pace was getting to slow for him. He usually didn't mind taking his time with Ichigo because he wanted to enjoy every second and every inch of him, but right now he couldn't hold himself back. He missed his touch way too much and he just wanted to feel more. He started to tug at Ichigo's belt furiously, trying to discover the thing that was forming a tent. His boyfriend shooed his hands away so that he could take care of the belt that was restricting him by himself instead of having the more eager vampire above him pull at the leather futilely. He wasn't going to get anywhere if he kept on pulling at it.

Grimmjow lifted himself only momentarily so that Ichigo was able to have room to pull his pants and underwear down before Grimmjow was immediately on top of him again kissing his lips furiously and thrusting his tongue into Ichigo's mouth so that he could explore the warm cavern. It should have been completely mapped out by now, but he felt like he hasn't been exploring in far too long. Heck, not even being able to scout it every hour is way too long.

Ichigo moaned and reached down so that he could try and get Grimmjow's pants off too. It was unfair that he was the only one exposed and he didn't feel like losing to Grimmjow just yet. Ichigo flipped them over once again so that he was on top. He continued kissing and Grimmjow helped him take his pants off.

Ichigo wasn't planning on giving up just yet. He wasn't going to let Grimmjow have his way without him getting to do anything himself. He lowered himself down on Grimmjow's erection. Grimmjow's breath hitched as he tried to resist thrusting into Ichigo's mouth. Ichigo held him down by his hips for security. Ichigo ran his tongue over the expanse of his cock and Grimmjow gripped onto the sheets as tightly as possible as he felt Ichigo's wet muscle appeasing his central heat. Ichigo bobbed his head up and down changing the pace. Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow as his tongue traced the outside of his erection and ran over the slit.

Ichigo really was the most erotic thing he has ever seen. When he first met Ichigo he never expected that he would ever do anything like this. Heck he didn't think that he would ever get to come this far with him. He couldn't believe that this guy came with him willingly and he knew that he would follow him to the ends of the Earth, but he couldn't lose to Ichigo just yet. Tonight was supposed to be special.

He pushed Ichigo off and Ichigo only looked at him in confusion before Grimmjow pulled him closer so that their lips met once again. He could already start to feel Ichigo's lips start to get swollen and bruised, but he probably wasn't much different. He tasted himself in Ichigo's mouth and couldn't help, but think that that tasted suited Ichigo almost as much as strawberry.

While he kissed Ichigo his hand reached out and pulled open the bedside table where he put a bottle of lube, strawberry of course. He squeezed a benevolent amount of lube onto his fingers before he traced down Ichigo's butt, asking permission for him to start preparing. Ichigo spread his legs wider open to allow Grimmjow easier access, understanding what Grimmjow wanted to do and giving him permission to continue.

Grimmjow never left Ichigo's lips even when he stuck his finger into him so that he could start to prepare him. Their lips never seemed to have enough of each other. Every time they pulled away to take a breath they would soon go crashing into each other again. No matter how eager, sloppy, or skillful their kisses became their tongues danced with the same amount of passion as the last.

Ichigo only pulled away when he felt Grimmjow's fingers find his prostate. He started rocking back and forth to get more pressure on it. His face was bright red as he fucked himself on Grimmjow's fingers. Grimmjow pulled them out of him and Ichigo whined unintentionally in the absence of the pleasure he was receiving even though he knew what was soon going to follow after.

Grimmjow coated his dick in the same substance he used on his fingers and Ichigo positioned himself so that he could lower himself onto him. He settled himself down onto Grimmjow's erection painfully slow. Grimmjow had to keep himself from trusting upwards into Ichigo's tight ass. It was up to Ichigo how he wanted to set the pace. He didn't want to force Ichigo into anything he was uncomfortable doing and he wanted to hurt Ichigo as little as possible. Even for vampires taking it up the ass is incredibly painful especially if it was done by another vampire.

Once Ichigo was fully settled in he took a deep breath as the pleasure and pain registered before he started to move his hips by himself. Once Ichigo seemed comfortable enough Grimmjow started to thrust upwards himself in time with Ichigo.

Ichigo has been doing a lot better with this as time progressed. He's done this a number of times so he has come a long way from when they have done it the first time. There was always pain that came just because of the size of Grimmjow's dick, but as time passed and the more they performed these kinds of acts he has been getting better and better with the pain. It has been a while since they've done something like this that came with Ichigo being a bit more preoccupied.

Grimmjow reached over and started to run his hands up and down Ichigo's own shaft, granting him pleasure that he deserved. Ichigo nearly cried out from the stimulation that he was receiving from both ends. His face was red and he panted and each time he wanted to moan he would clench his mouth shut in an effort to stifle it. Grimmjow matched his rhythm in time with their own thrusting and with the way Ichigo's member twitched he could tell that Ichigo was reaching his limit and he wasn't that far from it himself.

He gently flipped Ichigo over so that Ichigo was on his back so that Grimmjow could finish up from them. Grimmjow had to bite down his own moan when he almost lost control of himself. He didn't want to blow his load just yet. He has almost done it a number of times, but he wasn't planning on cumming until Ichigo did. It's been so long, he wanted to do this right.

Grimmjow threw one of Ichigo's legs over his shoulder so that he could have a better angle and Ichigo instinctively wrapped his other around Grimmjow's waist, pulling him closer. Grimmjow picked up the pace and he could no longer keep his own sounds in, grunting and groaning when something felt especially good.

Ichigo cried out one final time when his and Grimmjow's hips met once again. He spilled his orgasm on Grimmjow's chest. Originally he would have felt embarrassed by doing that, but it has happened so many times that it came with the territory. Then there was the fact of how Grimmjow preferred to release.

When Ichigo had an orgasm his butt became that much tighter. It was one of the reasons why Grimmjow always tried to hold off until Ichigo cums first. He always beat himself up if he allowed himself to release first before he was able to feel Ichigo's tightness. Ichigo's butt turned into a vice and even though it becomes a bit harder to thrust inside of him the tight feeling of Ichigo's ass always pulls him over the edge. He released inside of Ichigo allowing the white fluid to fill him before collapsing boneless on top of Ichigo.

Ichigo always told him that it wouldn't hurt to wear a condom, but one of Grimmjow's favorite things about having sex with Ichigo was to mark him with his scent. Ichigo was his and he knew it. That's probably why he doesn't complain too much anymore when Grimmjow cums inside. It creates a big mess for him later, but there was always something satisfying about having his others know that he was his territory. Also releasing himself inside was damn hot.

They laid there silently for a second before Grimmjow wrapped an arm around Ichigo and pulled him in. Ichigo didn't protest, cuddling further into Grimmjow and sighing with relief. They laid there in silence as they rode out their adrenaline and pleasure before Grimmjow got up. Ichigo protested, missing the heat that resonated off of Grimmjow while they cuddled. Grimmjow walked over to the dresser that was lined with candles and pulled out the top drawer.

He faced towards Ichigo with his arms behind his back before he put himself at the edge of the bed. He came down onto the bed with one knee and revealed what was behind his back, a small black box.

Ichigo went from exhaustion to shock in a matter of seconds. Was this some kind of joke? No way. The suite, the candles, the pedals, no way, he was naked dammit, they both were. He couldn't have waited till he put some clothes on or he could have done it before they did the dirty. He knew that Grimmjow was eager, but they couldn't have gotten this out of the way first.

He didn't have a lot of time to harp on the details because the box was already open revealing the golden ring inside. "Ichigo, will you marry me?"

Ichigo repeated the words a million times in his head in a matter of seconds. Part of him wanted to go off on Grimmjow for doing this right after his best friends' wedding and while he was stressed, but the other part of him wanted to throw himself at Grimmjow.

While he was deciding what to do the instinctual part of his brain got impatient and just said. "Yes." He heard the small, three letter word slip out of his mouth and his entire body flushed. He didn't know his voice would be so hoarse when answering this question or to be in a situation like this in the first place.

Grimmjow was now cross legged slipping the ring onto Ichigo's finger before he slid a matching one onto his own. Ichigo was grateful that he didn't take advantage of teasing him for his voice. He held onto Ichigo's hand with a dumb blissful expression that demonstrated that he has never felt so at peace in his life time. Instead of kissing Ichigo he just held him. He was relieved. He didn't realize how stressed he was until that very moment. He never wanted to let go of him again and they must have sat there for about half an hour before Grimmjow seemed to snap himself out of his blissfulness. "Oh yeah, I have champagne."

He was about to get up to walk over to the fridge, but Ichigo pulled him right back, causing Grimmjow to fall back on top of him. "No, I just want to stay here like this for a little longer." He admitted. He gave Grimmjow a light smile and at that moment Grimmjow knew that Ichigo's thoughts were mutual.

-The End-

* * *

 **A/N: And with that I am finally free. Thank you all for reading this far and going on this adventure with me whether from you are from the present or the future. Not too bad for my first story right? Right? (*sobs) I can't wait to be able to go back and cringe on this later, but for now look forward for my next work. Remember to leave a review to share your final thoughts whether they are compliments or death threats. even if you have not reviewed at all it still isn't too late to share some love (God knows I need it.) It will also prevent this story from dying out, never to be seen again.**

 **I hope to see you all in my next story which probably won't be updated weekly like this one because the amount of work for this one was...difficult.** **In the meantime read Resentment or something (I don't know, at least I think I did a good job so far), but right now I'm going to go back to trying to learn how to become a Dungeon Master if any of you actually care what other hobbies I have... Until then, what would you like to see next?**


End file.
